Panda at Vista House at Crown Point (Only Copy)

Panda was not enjoying this adventure at all.

The wind was incredibly strong, so strong that Panda did not even want to come out for a photo. If Panda slipped from my hand, she would have been blown away in seconds. There would have been no chance of catching her.

To keep Panda safe, I had to hold onto her tightly with one hand while trying to operate the phone camera with the other. There was even a video taken to show just how windy it was. You can see in the photo how firmly my thumb is wrapped around Panda's belly. It was not a very comfortable experience for Panda, but it was necessary.

Normally Panda would have enjoyed the amazing view, but she was far too worried about the wind to appreciate it. Her entire focus was on hanging on and making sure she did not become the first flying panda.

One interesting detail in the photo is the shadow. The shadows of Panda and me appear on the wall behind, but there is an opening in the wall right where the shadows fall. Because of that gap, the shadow of the wall on the road merges with mine, while Panda's shadow remains clearly visible and intact.

Fortunately, Panda survived the windy ordeal and was relieved when it was over. The next adventure was much more appealing: visiting the waterfall.

At the time, this was one of the first Panda photos to be shared. When there was no response, Panda worried that perhaps nobody liked the adventures. Thankfully, that turned out not to be the case.