Black Canyon City is an oasis—a refuge amidst a sprawling stretch of desert north of Phoenix. Rolling into town, we sniff out some burritos and kill time watching cars drift by from the patio in the late-morning sun.
I look out across the small Arizona town, past the desolate hillsides and out at the vast expanse of Sonoran Desert that stretches south to the Mexican border and beyond.
We woke up late. Somewhere out on the desert highway past the edge of town. Close enough to the road to hear the constant drone of traffic in the night; far enough from town that gunshots would be the sound to wake us in the morning.