I just finished reading Anthony C LoBaido's most recent article in which he covers the topic of photography.
One of the things that he notes is that sunrise and sunset are some of the best times to take photos. Now I haven't had much experience taking at dusk and anyways the mountains block the direct sunset sunlight from striking the exact opposite is true in the morning here. On a clear morning the Rocky Mountains and Pikes Peak are bathed in a reddish light that is truly striking.
On a good morning you will see Pikes Peak look more like the rocks in Garden Of The Gods than its more standard brown. Also the shadows cast by the various features and foothills are unique to that time of day only and continuously shift until it is the same thing that everyone sees everyday which makes later photos less dramatic. Dawn is also good due to moisture in the air. You may find residues of fog left over from the night and being able to photograph a pocket of fog, perhaps from an overlooking hill or as the fog moves on past your position also makes for a good pic. Now if there is no fog you will also end up with the clearest photos as there is no, or less, atmospheric moisture to create a haze. I imagine that places that suffer from a daily brown cloud might also benefit from early morning as less pollution is put into the air overnight and has had a chance to clear out.
As Anthony points out you have to be in a position to take good photos and it isn't always the pleasant and easy to get to places that make for good photos. It means you have to get up early, hike into the mountains or to a deserted remote location to see things the average person will not see but wants to be able to see or imagine every time they glance at their wall.