Paradox and Bedrock

The Paradox Valley in April, from above the hamlet of Paradox, Colorado.

One of my favorite lonesome valleys is the Paradox Valley at the West End of Montrose County in southwest Colorado.

The residents call themselves "West Enders" and "Rimrockers". Both terms seem to have a double meaning. Because the early days of this end of the county were wild, as in civilized folks in the valleys trying to bring to justice sometimes lawless characters living (and sometimes hiding) in the hills and "rim rocks" of the surrounding mesas.

Highway 90 south of Bedrock. The La Sal Mountains (in Utah) are on the skyline.

These days the terms signify (in my understanding) very rural and independent folks that are exceedingly friendly, and tough. Who look out for each other, as rural people do. Not that there aren't differences of opinion among themselves. They are ranchers and construction workers. Retirees and highway department employees. Highly attuned to nature, their climate, and especially how dry or wet the current year is. Because it matters a lot.

In Bedrock, the Bedrock Store still stands. When I first visited here several years ago, it was still open for business. Then it was closed for a few years while the owner dealt with health issues. And happily recovered. But sold the store, whose new owners are dedicated to carrying on the legacy.

The Bedrock Store, Bedrock, Colorado.

If you've seen the already-classic movie Thelma and Louise, you have seen this building. It's where the pair made their last phone calls. Louise famously says: "Well, we're not in the middle of nowhere. but we can see it from here." as she looked out the door of the Bedrock Store to the red cliffs across the valley.

"Bedrock and Paradox" was the title of the final chapter of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire: A Season In The Wilderness. But the chapter was neither about the towns of Bedrock nor Paradox. So why did he call it that? He certainly knew all about this area.

Looking across Paradox Valley at Bedrock, where the Dolores River cuts through the cliffs on its way to the Colorado River. The far side of the geologic "paradox".

The chapter in that book was about leaving Arches National Monument (now Arches National Park) during one of his stints as a seasonal park ranger there. He was torn between going home for the winter to New Jersey and staying in his beloved red rock canyon country:

When I return will it be the same? Will I be the same? Will anything ever be quite the same again? If I return.
My guess is that he named the chapter Bedrock And Paradox because it sounded cool. Writers and songwriters make a living that way. He had come to feel grounded on the rock layers of the Colorado Plateau, and contradictory about whether to go or to stay. That the two hamlets of Bedrock and Paradox are only six miles apart at the upper end of the Paradox Valley, just on the east side of the La Sal Mountains in southeast Utah, made for a nice pairing, a hidden tribute to those living in or loving the area.

Sunset glow on the cliffs near Bedrock, Colorado.

The Paradox Valley was named by a settler because of the seemingly contradictory nature of the Dolores River there. About how it didn't seem to be behaving as a river should. Which is a topic for a later post. There is so much beauty here that I would never waste it on a single post.

Photo location: Montrose County, Colorado.

See more of my photography on my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg