One of the best things about Yosemite is that you never know what amazing animals you may run into while in the park. At one point, on my last trip, I came upon a black bear near Glacier Point. I wasn’t able to stop and take a picture because I was driving at the time and there were people behind me, as well as nowhere to pull over. Sometimes you just have to take in the experience and make a mental picture instead.

On the other hand, there was one animal I was able to spend some time with. His name is Wrangler and he is a horse that was staying in a corral at the Pioneer Center in Wawona. I’d go visit Wrangler daily for a few minutes, but he really didn’t have much interest in people. The first time I visited him he came right over and seemed to enjoy the attention, but I think once was enough for him.

Since Wrangler was the only horse in the corral all the time, this was a little concerning to me. However, on my last day in Yosemite, I came across a park ranger who was preparing Wrangler for the move down to Fresno for the winter season. She explained that Wrangler was a loner and didn’t like too much interaction with the other horses or people. However, he did work really hard when they needed an extra helping hand in the park and keeping him in Yosemite for a little longer past the summer season really was a benefit to the rangers. I guess it was a win-win situation for both parties.

Below is a picture of Wrangler in the Pioneer Center corral. He is supposed to come back to Yosemite for the Summer of 2015, so maybe I’ll have a chance to see him again in the future. It’s always great to see a familiar face when returning to a beautiful place.

Have a great week everyone! And to everyone in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving!