Rule, located in Haskell County, is 22 miles down the road from Aspermont. It looked like a very quaint and interesting little Texas town. The old downtown buildings on Fifth street at the junction of Highway 6 had some character and it was an excuse to take a break and snap pictures.

I arrived in Haskell with 32 miles under my belt, and looking back, I probably was not anymore tired or achy as on other rides at this point. I am sure it may have been difficult to be enthused about riding after being spoiled with tail winds, elevation descent and smooth roads the day before. Plus, my body had little time to recover from yesterday's unusually long ride.

My plan was to travel northeast 44 miles to Seymour, Texas. This would direct me back onto Highway 82 in north central Texas as originally planned*.

* - Read about my change in route from Day 17 in Socorro, New Mexico to learn how I got on Highway 380.

I really did not want to go to Seymour. I wanted to stay on Highway 380 where Cheyenne in Denton, TX, an old friend wanted to meet me. If I stayed on Highway 380, I could ride really close to her home, guaranteeing I would see her. If I traveled north, she would need to drive longer and I risked the possibility she might not see me. If only there was a town with lodging about 30 miles down Highway 380 east! I thought. Throckmorton, according to my research, had no lodging and it was another 60 miles to Graham. And my body had already made it clear that a 90+ mile day to Graham was not happening today!

I had an idea as I stood outside the convenience store in Haskell. Once again, local customers and a store employee were talking and making a fuss about me as they learned about my trip. Why not ask the teenage cashier if there are any motels in Haskell?

"Yeah, there's two. One is few blocks south and there's a more expensive one east on First."

Problem solved! It did require some time to convince myself of my idea to stop at just 32 riding miles, but c'mon, coupled with my 126 miles yesterday, that gave me a mean average of 79 miles over the past two days. That's not too shabby! Why not just rest today and enjoy yourself a little on this perfectly sunny day in the 70's? Stay in Haskell, then continue tomorrow 60+ miles to Graham. It made sense. Also, something inside knew that I just could not leave Highway 380 just yet - this modest two-lane highway (much of the way at least) had been so good to me!

I chose the cheaper motel south of the main intersection and was very impressed with my room and its amenities. After showering, I was ready to explore the town. Adjacent are three photos of buildings in the old downtown square. It was a very quiet Sunday afternoon!

I photographed the Haskell water tower (top) with a bin of cotton in the foreground, and a various metal storage bins (bottom).

See that Dairy Queen sign? After yesterday's positive Dairy Queen experience, I knew I would visit again. Nothing else seemed open any way ...

Above: Socializing with the two very friendly Colorado women at the Dairy Queen in Haskell, Texas. I was holding my Heath Bar blizzard and a cup full of decaffeinated coffee! :)

"Are you an Arizona Cardinal?" asked a woman behind me in line. She pointed out I did not look like a local whatsoever.

I told her I was from Colorado and so was she! She invited me to sit at her table with her friend and it felt like the excitement of "feeling popular" in high school all over again. I was going to make new friends!

The two women are horse enthusiasts and attended a horse show in central Texas. They were on their way back home to Colorado and were staying in Haskell as well. They stayed at the more expensive motel, and did not know of my hotel, the cheaper one that was just as good, a few blocks south. ;) We talked about all sorts of things, including the beauty of Colorado's mountains, my bike trip, the many different kinds of horses and its industries and the woman's previous work as a writer for a popular horse magazine. (Sadly, I forgot their names.)

Just like the night before at the Dairy Queen in Aspermont, I was so heartened by our comradery that I knew I needed to get a picture of us. :)