Hi there,
I just flew to Denver less than 2 weeks ago, It was actually smooth at 11 & 12,000ft going and coming back to the west coast, I flew in the middle of the afternoon going and landed in Denver at night, I experience a smooth ride, but restricted visiblity with ligthning reported north and south of our route.
Thermals caused by heat, which heats the air above it causing the air to rise gives us a bumpy ride, added with moisture gives us cumulunimbus clouds,
but despite the bumps caused thermals, surely you can still get a bumpy ride, over those mountain ranges, caused by the windflow from the west this time of year ( didn't experience any though)
Talking about bumpy rides, Moderate turbulance in a twin last night!!! My gosh, reduce power at or below manurvering speed, and execept variations!!! well that I did!! 200-300ft altitude varions yuck! 40-60kts speed various yuck yuck!
thankfully it only lasted 15 minutes arriiving and departing!
fly safe
QUOTE(Piltdown Man @ Oct 4 2008, 01:05 AM)

The man is right. But let's not hold back - you have the problem. If you want the convenience of flying you have to accept some of the inconveniences that go with it. One of those is bumps. "Near death experiences" are figments of the mass media's ignorant producer's liturgy. You'll have to forgive me now, but if these journalists are correct, we have been trying for years to kill people. And we've failed miserably. We haven't got anybody in the last 20-30 years or so, certainly at Denver!.
So consider. Is gas that expensive? Is road travel that safe? (you really don't want to see the figures on road deaths). Are bumps that bad?
I'd like to think that the rational part of your brain will make the decision, but I might be wrong... Be careful now!
PM