Snow Again!
Snow Again, Finally! When we left for China six years ago, we knew we were in for a different climate -- some of it a welcome change. And though I've never enjoyed prolonged cold snaps (and fortunately experienced very few) it certainly was a welcome sight seeing snowflakes floating down outside our window the morning after our arrival at Zhangjiajie, better known in the West as the home of the Avatar Mountains. We visited several sites in the two days we were there, but probably the most impressive was the Avatar Mountains themselves, which we saw on the second day. By then, it had snowed enough to leave a soft, white blanket all about, which was wonderful for photos. But, as for walking, that blanket of snow had turned to ice, making all the rock pathways slick and treacherous. Fortunately, they sold attachable cleats for shoes -- a wonderful solution for Sandy, but troublesome for me as they kept embedding and sticking in the ice and then popping off my shoes. Maybe they were