I woke up in the Pedernales Falls campground. “It’s back to a normal week tomorrow,” I thought. “I can head back to Austin right now or I can make the most of today.”

You can guess which option I chose.

I crawled to the other side of the van and grabbed the map of Pedernales Falls State Park. Over a half-dozen trails lined the complicated piece of paper. All of them allowed biking. My eyes were brought to one thumbnail.

“The 5.5-Mile Loop Trail offers breathtaking views.”

Cool. That one.

I made some oatmeal (three days in a row, now—I should have brought more with me) and drank a ton of water. After taking a well-needed shower at the campground, I jumped on my BMX bike and hit the trail.

It did not last very long. Within minutes, it was a steep trail of nothing but gravel. The bike immediately became a liability.

I pushed it uphill through slidey gravel for what felt like years. When I got to the top, I looked for a spot to look it up.

The rest of the hike was beautiful! Texas continues to surprise me. I hiked along the trail and listened to the birds while thinking about my purpose in life. I knew that for that moment, being there was it.

After a total of about 90 minutes, I reached the destination. While it wasn’t the most breathtaking sight of my life, it was a super nice view of the Texan hills. Above all, it was extremely peaceful. I ended up meditating for half an hour and almost forgot where I was. It filled me with more energy and motivation than anything has in a long time.

I made my way back, grabbed the bike along the way, and hit the road. I was starving and on the way out I asked the park ranger where the nearest grocery store was.

I made my way toward Johnson City, a tiny Texas town that was even more Texas than the last one. I ate a chicken salad at a local burger joint and hopped in the van to get some work done.

While I was sitting in there, I noticed a green road sign in the distance.

“Marble Falls – 22”

I couldn’t resist.

I drove for half an hour and stumbled across Marble Falls Lake. It was a small lake with a ton of character. A tiny town lined the shores on side and a resort conquered the other.

I finished the day off by finding a place to park with a nice view of the lake. I never expected to be treated to an amazing sunset like this!