Gayle and Oprah

Oprah and Gayle Go to Yosemite: Part 2
In Part 1 of Oprah and Gayle's Big Yosemite Adventure, the two best friends headed into the great outdoors to experience one of America's favorite pastimes: camping. After exploring some of Yosemite's beautiful sites, Oprah and Gayle rolled up their sleeves and got to work—even putting together a pop-up camper. Now that their campsite is up and running, Oprah and Gayle begin their night. 
Oprah making dinner

It's dinnertime at the Lower Pines Campground, and Oprah and Gayle are ready to get cooking...or at least Oprah is.

"We've been friends for over 30 years, and she's never cooked one single thing in 30 years," Oprah says. "Not an egg. Not a piece of toast."

"I'm not handy-dandy in the kitchen. Or the campfire," Gayle says. "I'm a very good eater."
Oprah

Oprah has a good fire going, but the flames are still a little too high to starting cooking. So she waits...

...and she waits some more. Oprah straps on some firefighter goggles and takes a seat by the fire, hoping the flames will calm down.
Oprah and Gayle

While they wait, Oprah and Gayle play the "Hunting, Fishing, Camping" trivia game by Mountainmen Enterprises. Gayle loves games, so Oprah (who is not a fan of games) plays along and ends up getting a good laugh out of it.

Gayle: True or false: Coyotes are monogamous.

Oprah: Yes, they are. 

Gayle: I need to find me a coyote, don't I? Because it's really hard with the men and the monogamy. Just saying.

Oprah: Oh, that's what you've been missing.

Gayle: I need a coyote!

Oprah: You need a coyote man! I think you can find one in Yosemite. Since coyotes are monogamous, you need a coyote man.

Gayle: That's the problem. I've been in the wrong place.
Gayle and Oprah eating dinner

Photo: April Terrien

Finally, the fire is ready. Oprah throws on some sea bass and potatoes, which she later realized might not have been the best dinner selection.

"I think what I learned from this process is keep it simple. Simple, simple, simple," Oprah says. "And grilling sea bass and rosemary potatoes and all that kind of thing...too much."

Oprah and Gayle enjoy their delicious dinner by the fire, but later find out that the most popular camping foods are actually pancakes and franks 'n' beans.
Oprah, Gayle and their neighbors

After dinner, Oprah and Gayle invite their neighbors over for popcorn and s'mores.

Watch their night around the campfire
Shelton

While everyone is sitting around the fire, park ranger Shelton Johnson shows up to tell them the story of the Buffalo Soldiers—a group of African American soldiers who patrolled the western frontier during the American Civil War.

"He takes a lot of pride in what he does, and well he should, because he gives an amazing performance," Gayle says.
Oprah

The neighbors have left, and Oprah and Gayle are beat. They head into the pop-up camper to rest up for Day 2 at Yosemite.

"I can't wait to go to sleep, because it has been a very long day," Oprah says.
Oprah and Gayle split screen

Since Oprah and Gayle agreed to do their whole camping trip on TV, cameras were there to greet them in the morning.

Gayle: Good morning, America. Oprah Winfrey when she first wakes up. Isn't she pretty? Go ahead, show them that TV smile.

Oprah: Wait a minute. You know what? Turn the camera around and look at glamour girl. That is the pot calling the kettle black.

Oprah and Gayle

After joking around about their first-thing-in-the-morning looks, Gayle is ready to eat breakfast...and Oprah is doing the cooking. "Oprah can cook," Gayle says. "So when you get this opportunity—even if you're at Yosemite—you should take advantage of it."

Gayle is happy when Oprah serves her a delicious meal of eggs, avocado and toast.

Watch Oprah make breakfast
Oprah and Gayle

Photo: April Terrien

Oprah and Gayle begin their day, and the first thing on the agenda is a lesson in fly fishing—something Oprah has always dreamed of doing. "I like the idea of putting on the boots and going out in the water and catching and releasing some fish," Oprah says.
Oprah and Gayle fly fishing

Photo: April Terrien

After a basic fly fishing lesson from instructors Brian and Jenny Grossenbacher, Oprah and Gayle head out into the water to try it for themselves. While Oprah loves the experience and wants to go fly fishing again some time, Gayle has a different reaction.

"I'm all done with fly fishing," Gayle says. "It's just not for me. I like a pretty pool; I like a pretty colored drink with an umbrella sitting in it."
Oprah, Gayle and J.R.

Oprah and Gayle's trip is coming to a close, and to wrap things up, Oprah wants to ride off into the sunset with a real cowboy. Oprah and Gayle head to Yosemite Stables, where they meet cowboy J.R. and their mules for the day, Roxanne and Sancho.
Oprah and Gayle

While they ride off into the sunset, Oprah and Gayle share their favorite parts of the camping trip.

Gayle says the highlight for her was the beautiful view of El Capitan. She also says she liked the company—"Camping people are a different breed, I think."

Oprah says she enjoyed the whole experience of being at Yosemite. "Just the beauty of the park. Everything about it's spectacular...being surrounded by the cathedral of stone," she says. "Now I want to see all the other national parks."