Soaring in mountain wave is magic.  A sailplane flies forward while ascending rapidly, smoothly, silently and possibly to very high altitudes.  (For the technically inclined more info is here.)

I wrote mountain wave into my novel Downfall Tide without having experienced it until very recently.  That was at SoaringNV in Minden, Nevada. Because of wave and strong soaring conditions generally Minden is one of the premier soaring sites in the world.  Still I was lucky to be there when there was wave.

21,200′ high in a Duo Discus sailplane – with instructor Elizabeth Tattersall.

Lake Tahoe off the left wing

The atmospheric conditions that produce wave often produce lenticular clouds, which are peculiarly lens- or pancake-shaped:

Lennies in Carson City the night before.