Now, THIS was the greatest day: Day 19/ Muleshoe, TX

It's six am and it's already getting hot.  I slept naked in my tent, and got out and walked out, no one around.  Packed it up, oatmeal, tea, and back down south.  Hit the highway towards Fort Sumner, past the grave of Billy the Kid, and then knew there'd be nothing again until I got close to the border.

The border of Texas, that is.  I camped 110 miles from Clovis and thought I'd have a rough time making it there.  This was the one and only day, though, much to my chagrin, that I had a friend.  It had my back, 20-30 miles an hour.  So by three o'clock, I'd really been flying and was only 25 miles away.  There I hit the Tin Barn in Melrose at the only place for probably 60 miles where I could stop in.

I got a barbeque pulled pork sandwich and sat at one of two tables, catching up on some notes, talking to the locals, and waiting out the heat.

4:30 and I was excited.  I went back out.  Like an oven, you know the feeling, especially with all the air-conditioning.  Sun started going down, though, and it was awesome.  I stopped at an RV Park to talk to a nice young woman who I'd been on the phone with, drank a powerade and left (everywhere I go, people give me free drinks!)  She ran out after and said if I wanted, I could stay for free.  I thanked her profusely, but kept on going.  Three hours later, I wasn't sure how far I'd gone, but way past the border and into Muleshoe.

That's when I found the Morton's.  It was late, but they took me in.  Former cycling hosts, but not, apparently, warmshowers or anything, I'd been given their contact information, just in case.  The campground that was supposed to be there wasn't, and two other cyclists were no help.  Motels were like seventy-bucks and I just couldn't do it again.  It was brazen, but I took the chance.  On nothing but their gut instinct, and kindness, Mark and Eileen opened their door to me, said sure, I could stay with them.

An hour later, as I lay in this very cool house, about 3 seconds from sleep, I googled it: I had gone 145 miles.  And now I was laying in a strangers bed.  I slept soundly, got up the next day and prepared to do it again.