DAY-25.  Chinle AZ, deep in the Navajo Nation.  Today we drove 43 miles along the South Rim Trail in Canyon de Chelly National Monument.  We last visited this gem of a national monument in 1967, half a century ago while road tripping cross country with Alice's family and a few close friends.
     The canyon views from the 7 or 8 overlooks are spectacular, our favorite being the overlook of Spider Rock, an 800-foot-tall spire that stands alone.  Whereas a view like this at the Grand Canyon would be crammed with visitors, we were completely alone.  A magical experience as we reminisced about our previous visit 50 years ago, just a few months before we were married.  During that earlier visit I almost backed off a sheer cliff while taking a photo.  It was Alice's brother, Jeff, who casually said, "Pete, don't back up another step because you're about to go off the cliff!"  Thank you Jeff!!  Much obliged!
     The pictures will show the magnificence of Canyon de Chelly far better than any description we could put in words.
     Lunch was traditional Navajo Tacos at a Navajo cafeteria at the edge of the Monument.
     All told, we hiked 3.5 miles today.  Tomorrow, we plan to drive the North Rim Trail along a section known as Diablo Canyon.