California 2025, Day 6, Yosemite National Park

Today there's less text, but a lot more pictures. When you’re in Yosemite, it quickly becomes clear why this is one of the most popular national parks in America. Breathtaking views, beautiful nature, giant sequoias, and the chance that you might encounter a black bear or a mountain lion at any moment (unfortunately, we only came across a coyote); what more could one want? I wasn't aware that it takes about an hour to drive from the official entrance to the welcome center. Just this drive is already an experience. Upon arriving in the valley, we initially decided to take a small tour around the valley, passing Mirror Lake and getting a view of the Yosemite Half Dome. The only downside: most of the waterfalls and also Mirror Lake are dried up at this time of year. The issue of drought is also noticeable in Yosemite, and of course, there are 'No Campfire' prohibition signs everywhere. After a quick snack, we drove back to the park's entrance/exit and then continued with the shuttle to Mariposa Grove, the largest of the three giant sequoia groves in the park (unfortunately, there was no giant sequoia grove throwing contest, as I would have liked to win a giant sequoia grove throwing contest winner's medal). The largest (in terms of 'girth', not 'height') is the Grizzly Giant, a monstrous tree. It is over 2000 years old, has a diameter of nearly 9 meters at the base, and stands an impressive 64 meters tall. On the 1.5-hour drive back to Fowler, we again traversed the entire color and nature palette of California; from dark green, forested mountains, to ochre, sparsely vegetated hills, to yellow, barren plains.

To be continued...

Distance walked: 12 km

Steps taken: 17,000