Danba, Tagong, Yading and Yubeng in November

I'm planning a trip to the kham region during the end of November.

About Danba:
Has anybody been on the road between Danba and Chengdu recently? I was there early in 2009, and it wasn't being used yet due to the earthquake.
How are the conditions on that road these days?
Is there currently a bus that goes from Chengdu all the way to Danba, or vice versa?
Would it be easy and reasonably priced to get transport from Siguniang Shan to Danba?
I've read about several villages that sound wonderful around Danba. What would you recommend for one day in that area?

About Tagong Grasslands:
I've been there in the summer, which was wonderful, but Lonely Planet makes it sound dead during the off season.
Is that really true?
Would it be nice to visit Tagong at the end of November?
Would a day horse trek be possible then?

Yading or Yubeng (Deqin) hiking:
Is hiking in either of these areas feasible at the end of November?

Thanks in advance!

Don't know DrChina can check this or not, but hopefully this is useful. You should post this onto the area of "China" though all the places are about the Kham in Sichuan and NW of Yunnan. We are a tour operator here in China conducted couple of tours to this area recently. The road from Chengdu to Danba goes via Ya'an, crossing over the Jiajin Mountain to Xiaojin before reaching Danba, on which, scheduled public buses are available at Chengdu's Chadianzi Bus Station, of which, the bus takes around 10hours one way to Danba, costs around CNY120?, It will be easiler get a seat in a van from Four Girls Mountain to Danba, costs around CNY60 p.p.. Jiaju and Zhonglu Tibetan villages both are near Danba Town and are nice to be. If you come to Yading and Yubeng in Yunnan, you need go crossing Tagong, it is not much interesting to sleep in Tagong in NOV, as it is getting cold, views become dull, suggest to sleep one night at Xinduqiao with much better hotels at very reasonable price. So just stop in Tagong for a visit to the Buddhist Tagong Monastery, then proceed to Xinduqiao. Yading and Yubeng hiking is fine in Nov, though it can be pretty cold and both have logistic supports preferred.

Cheers

SplendidChina