Cortez - Mesa Verde National Park - Durango

Yesterday we had a wonderful evening in an authentic Mexican restaurant in Cortez with lots of spicy food and margaritas.

Today's agenda was to visit Mesa Verde National Park.

After a few kilometers past Cortez, we passed the entrance to one of the oldest national parks in America. Mesa Verde means Green Table Mountain. First, we drove up a pass that could have been in the Alps and enjoyed the scenery and curves.

Once we arrived at the top, we were able to admire archaeological sites and structures of the Native Americans. I'm not talking about the Indians; I'm talking about the era around 1000-1500 BC. Here, the oldest artifacts of human habitation on this continent were found, approximately 4500 years old. The adobe dwellings, called pueblos, built in caves and overhangs were impressive.

After these impressions, we continued driving curvy roads in an alpine environment towards Durango. This old railroad town is our accommodation for tonight, and we will explore the town in the evening.

Unfortunately, we received bad news for tomorrow. We were supposed to head into the mountains, and Million Dollar Highway 550 was supposed to take us through mountain passes up to 3400 meters. Unfortunately, it is reported to be closed due to mudslides... we'll see how it looks tomorrow morning.

Conclusion of the day: Finally green, finally not as hot (only up to 35 degrees :-) ), and experienced a bit of history.