Contributor(s): Author: Carol Dedecker Wiens Author: Joan Dedecker Busby Sage & Sierra is the story of an uncommon childhood. Two spirited sisters grew up during the depths of the Great Depression and--although the family couldn't have known it ahead of time--moving to a small town in a remote part of eastern California indelibly changed their lives. In a desert valley, surrounded by sagebrush and high mountains, the young girls explored on foot, bicycle, and horseback. Their active outdoor childhood and connection with the natural world gave them a unique and lasting perspective on life: "Home extended from the valley floor to the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra and to the crest of the Inyo Mountains. Home was the morning sun on Mt. Williamson, the smell of rain on sagebrush, and the murmur of Independence Creek as it flowed through our back yard."