Though the road was wet, the only real snow was in the dispirited-looking patches on the grass verges of the highway. That was unusual for the Cascades in mid-November, Sly knew. Seattle never got even the slightest touch of snow anymore—thanks to its "industrial microclimate" and localized greenhouse effect—but the mountains often got several meters. The roads through the high passes like Snoqualmie were often closed, particularly since many of the tribal factions making up the Salish-Shidhe council seemed to consider snow plows to be "inappropriate technology." The unseasonable weather was a piece of luck for which Sly was grateful. A relatively light car like the Callaway would probably not handle snow very well.