Before GPS, sailors paid close attention to the sunset not just for its beauty but for its importance in celestial navigation.

If the best things in life are free, then sunsets have to be one of the best bargains in the bin. In every part of the country, from sea to shining sea, you can almost always find a wonderful sunset. Sometimes the sun blazes against skyscrapers, turning cities like Chicago and New York to gold. Sometimes the sun rests gently beyond a quiet lake or turns the roaring surf of the ocean pink and orange. Rolling hills and farmland seem to sparkle under the light of the evening sun. You just can't miss.

But like many of the best things in life, a sunset can't be ordered, delivered, scheduled, or counted on. In order to truly enjoy a sunset one has to be captivated by it. As captivation cannot be prescribed, the best kind of sunset is one that grabs you by the collar and demands that you drop what you're doing and stand eyes wide and mouth agape.

The surest way to be disappointed by a sunset is to expect it to be the zenith of a well-orchestrated event. If you have just the right music, a comfy lounge chair and the champagne at just the right temperature with a countdown clock telling you when to expect the big event, even the most brilliant light show will fail to live up to your expectations.

For us, the best sunsets we have seen in the last year invariably cropped up when we were missing our video and still cameras, driving on a busy stretch of mountain road or late for dinner. Somehow we managed to catch a few great ones on tape and in photos anyway, but these were only a sample of the amazing light shows we've seen all over America.

So what's the prescription for a good sunset? There is none. That's the point. But here's a suggestion:

• Always be ready to appreciate a thing of beauty.
  
• A brilliant sunset will invariably sneak up on you when you're up to something terribly important, like your tax returns or walking the dog. Drop what you're doing, and let it.