A few weeks ago, I stayed the night in Independence. I woke up early and walked all the way to the edge of town, into the fields, and looked at the amazing transition of the Owen Valley into the Sierras. The gentle contours of the valley, giving way to the hills and then to jagged snow-capped Sierras — it seemed like the story of our planet, again the backdrop of soft morning light and clear blue California skies.