I'm pretty slow at getting these travel posts up but I do want to share them all with you eventually and be able to look back on them.
We stayed in Merced for 3 nights in the most comfortable Airbnb with the sweetest host. We rented a cute little Ford hatchback which I drove up to Yosemite National Park and back on both days as Bella doesn't have her license (2.5 hours each way). I didn't have an international license and this was my first time driving on the opposite side of the road but renting a car was surprisingly easy (hella expensive though).
Our short 2 days spent at Yosemite was nothing short of wonderful and extraordinary. I was amazed by how untouched everything seemed and I couldn't get enough of how refreshing the clean crisp air felt in my lungs. I felt so alive and in touch with the endless beauty surrounding us. I honestly could have easily spent a week there, this was definitely high up there in my top favourite experiences of my trip. I could go on forever but I'll let the pictures speak for itself. Sit back, relax, scroll down and take in the wonder ~
DAY 1
We spent our first day at Yosemite at Vernal Falls because that was the one hike that our host said we couldn't miss. The trail took us a few hours each way; as the waterfall got bigger and closer, we still couldn't see where the path ended. We were confused because the higher we got, the less people there were and a lot of people were turning back. Finally on the last leg, we were confronted with these tiny steps on a steep slope that lead us to the top of the waterfall. We had our sandwiches for lunch up there and just admired everything before us for a while.
We came back down just as it was getting dark and I felt like I was seeing more that I missed on the way up. I'm not sure what was more frightening though, climbing up or down. Driving back to Merced once the sun had gone down was also quite scary because the road was very windy; I couldn't see more than 10m in front of me, all the cars were speeding and there was only one lane.
DAY 2
Well, that was difficult to pick which photos to include! Sorry, not sorry for including so many photos of the same "frame". I'm so glad Bella snapchatted that very moment when we emerged from the underpass and saw Tunnel View for the first time. It's exactly as I expected from the pictures that I have seen and am familiar with, but so much more spectacular being there in person. It was insanely picturesque and unreal. Even driving around inside Yosemite was incredible - the enormous trees that towered over and seeing the huge rocks peeking through and over the trees.
We saw Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls and encountered so many deers that afternoon. I was still so excited everytime we spotted one though, they were unfazed by all the visitors.
Bella and I picked up a set of marble "Twin Wolves" as a small souvenir for ourselves because we both loved Yosemite so much. I kept the shorter one and she kept the taller one.
From Merced to San Francisco, we caught a short AMTRAK train. Next Travel Visual will be San Fran ;)
Have you ever been to Yosemite?
chloé
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