I’ve wanted to document van life for a while and now I’m doing it! This is Part 1 in what will hopefully be a long series of photos and words and videos!

On Friday, I was sitting in my van in the hellishly hot metropolitan center of Austin. I asked myself “What am I doing here?” and immediately knew I was going to go camping this weekend.

I Googled up “beautiful places in nature” and found a county park on a place called Lake Travis, about 40 miles from Austin.

I jumped in the front seat, filled up on gas and food, and hit the road.

The whole drive was a series of beautiful backroads. I avoided highways on purpose.

After about two hours, I reached my destination. I drove around looking for campsites and found the perfect one with a rock, a table, and a killer view.

The sun was barely setting so I prepped for a beautiful night. I meditated on the rock, got some work done, and took some photos before heading to the van for sleep.

I went to bed sweating and longing for cool air. When I woke up in the middle of night, I was freezing. A thunderstorm was roaring and the temperature seemed to be cut in half.
I scrambled for more blankets and warmth. When I woke up again after sunrise, it was cool outside. Not unbearably cold, but weather for pants.

I now had two options.

1. Go back to concrete metropolis
2. Go to another beautiful place

It didn’t take a second. I Googled “camping places near me” and found Pedernales Falls, a huge State Park with some supposedly cool waterfalls.

I packed up, ate an apple, and snapped a photo before saying farewell to Lake Travis.

It was a 50-mile drive if I wanted to avoid highways (I did, the back roads are where it’s at). I hopped in the van and started driving on the beautiful Texan backroads.

I never thought Texas would be so green until I got here. From what I’ve seen, this is one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever been to. I can’t wait to bring people to all the places I discover.

I started getting hungry. Right when I noticed the desire to eat food, I saw a sign that said “FOOD.” Perfect!

I pulled into the parking of Lee’s, an old Texan road restaurant that felt as backroads Texas as it gets. I threw my phone in the back of the van and walked toward the restaurant.

The outside was nothing more than a white building with a tiny sign. Inside was a whole different world. The walls were decorated with memorabilia and signs. The TV was playing an old Beatles documentary and I was the only man in there not dressed in a cowboy hat and boots.

I was greeted by an old woman with a thick southern accent. She handed me a massive menu lined with burgers, fries, shakes, and everything in between. I found a grilled chicken salad and put in an order.

While I was waiting, I overheard an older man saying “You see this concert right here? My daddy took me to this same one when I was only eight years old. You can’t see us in the video but we was there, I swear it.” This was the real “heart of Texas” and it was awesome.

My food finally came. It was delicious and I took my time eating. I noticed that I had an impulse to check my phone several times while eating. That bothered me.

I went to the bathroom when I was done. The door said “World’s Smallest Bathroom.”

And it was.

I started driving with a full stomach. I found some friends along the way.

After two hours of marvelous Texas backroads, I pulled into Pedernales Falls State Park. I found a camping spot, got settled, and headed toward the main trail—the one to the so-called falls. Having never heard of this place, I didn’t know what to expect.

It was spectacular.

I finished the day by hiking back to the campground, making some oatmeal, and watching the sunset.

For Part 2 of this post, click here.