Dwight Yoakum played on the radio as we headed west on Interstate 40. It was hot … even by Mojave Desert standards. The thermometer on my dashboard read 120 degrees Fahrenheit (about 49 degrees Celsius). “Thank God for air conditioning,” I thought.

We were headed home after a weekend on the Colorado River. My three kids were sleeping in the backseat, and my wife, Lisa, tapped away on her phone. I tried to focus on the road ahead as I sipped on a lukewarm cup of coffee. “This is going to be a long trip.”