We had driven from Los Angeles to Flagstaff the previous evening and after a good night’s rest, our plan for the day was to cover an additional 480 miles and get to Alamosa, which lies only a few miles from the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

We started from Flagstaff around 9-ish and took 89N and then 160E that goes right through the Four Corners monument. This Monument marks the quadripoint where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. It is the only point in the US shared by four states, leading to the area being named the Four Corners. How cool is that! From highway 160, its less than quarter of a mile to get to the monument. After paying an entry fee, you get the opportunity to be at the intersection of the 4 states and take some cool snaps. All around are several native American shops, mostly selling hand made souvenirs. We love buying fridge magnets of the places we visit, so we spent a little bit of time going through the different shops and picking something we liked. Though, there’s not much to do here in terms of activities, the convenience of being so close to the highway, and the significance of this landmark makes it a worthwhile stop. After spending about an hour, we continued our trip towards Alamosa on 160 E.

About an hour drive on this road, will get you very close to Mesa Verde National Park. We had visited this National Park, during one of our earlier trips, so we did not stop here this time. However, for those of you that have not visited this place, I would highly recommend incorporating it into your itinerary. A full day is needed here to visit all that this park has on offer. Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archaeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years. Today, the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the US. In order to visit the most popular sites, you will have to book a ranger guided tour. Highly recommend booking it in advance during the busy seasons.

A further 50 miles east lies the town of Durango, where we stopped to take a break and grab a quick bite from a Nepalese/Tibetan restaurant. Momos (steamed dumplings) are amongst my most favorite things to eat and having found this gem of a restaurant in this sleepy little town, that served some of the best momos I have had in the US, was the highlight of the day for me! ?