Mount Tamalpais — just a short drive across the Golden Gate — continues to deliver sunsets that no amount of government spending could ever improve upon. No committees were formed. No environmental impact reports were filed. No consultants were hired at $400 an hour. Nature just does its thing, reliably and spectacularly, every single evening.

One local photographer put it perfectly: "I am so thankful there is so much beauty in this city and nearby. It's inspired me to go out and photograph nearly every day."

That's the kind of thing that's easy to forget when you're doom-scrolling through headlines about budget deficits, BART delays, and the latest City Hall spending scandal. The Bay Area's natural landscape — the Pacific coastline, the Marin Headlands, the rolling fog pouring over Twin Peaks — remains world-class and completely free to enjoy.

And here's the libertarian case for open space: public lands like Mt. Tam represent one of the genuinely good uses of collective resources. They don't require bloated bureaucracies to operate. They don't need $1.7 billion bond measures to function. They just need people to show up, respect the trails, and maybe pick up after themselves.

So if the news cycle has you feeling like the Bay Area is circling the drain, do yourself a favor. Drive north, hike up, and watch the sun drop into the Pacific. It'll cost you nothing but gas money — though admittedly, California found a way to make even that expensive.

Some things are still worth staying for.