Day 9 - Last Day in Yosemite and an Unforgettable Bear Moment 🐻

Our last day in Yosemite began quite relaxed. After a cozy breakfast at the hotel, we decided to go for a little jog. However, the heat quickly took its toll on us, so we kept it short – after all, an exciting day lay ahead. 🌲🥾

The special thing today: Our route intersected with that of Jonas and Sarah. We had saved some Yosemite highlights for this day, all around Yosemite Village. Around 11:30 AM, they picked us up at the hotel and we drove into the park together. The drive was already beautiful – we shared travel experiences, exchanged tips, and enjoyed the scenery.

And then it happened – a moment we had secretly hoped for throughout the trip:

To the right in the forest, just a few meters off the road, something dark moved between the trees. For a brief moment, we wondered if we were mistaken – but then we were almost breathless: a real black bear!

Tina reacted quickly, executed two U-turns, and we slowly drove back. There it stood – powerful, calm, completely in its element. With its paws, it tore large pieces of bark from the tree, the cracking could even be heard in our car. We could hardly believe our luck. Seeing this animal so close and in the wild gave us all goosebumps.

We were allowed to enjoy this magical moment for about two minutes until a truck appeared behind us and we had to move on. But the fascination and excitement lingered for a long time – such an experience will stay with us forever. 🐻

Upon arriving in Yosemite Village, we strolled to the Sentinel Falls, where the water cascaded down like a veil, constantly changing its shape. We then stopped at the Swinging Bridge and the El Capitan Meadows – with a fantastic view of the famous rock wall.

For a snack in the village, we had sandwiches and ice-cold Cola Zero. After that, we visited the Yosemite Falls, which were unfortunately a bit dried out. To conclude our park day, we took a group photo with the tripod in front of the majestic El Capitan. ⛰️

The drive back to Oakhurst took about an hour. We secretly hoped to see another bear – unfortunately without success. Given that only 300-500 bears live in the entire park, our luck in the morning was truly something special.

In the evening, we rested for a bit, went shopping, and met again at the campfire around 8:30 PM. There we had marshmallows with chocolate in butter cookie sandwiches, some snacks, and cold drinks. It was especially nice to exchange stories with other travelers – a friendly German family, a British family, and a lovely American mom with her two children.

Around 11:30 PM, we fell into bed, tired but happy.

This day was unforgettable not only because of the bear encounter – it was also special because we got to share it with such good friends. ♥️👩🏽‍🤝‍👨🏼👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻