mission
statement/philosophy
The Rugged Country Lodge has a mission to “create
a home away from home.” We
strive to serve you in such a way as to show our love for you by always providing
sparkling clean rooms, a cozy bed and breakfast-like atmosphere where our
guests are treated like friends.
Through trust,
integrity, and believing that others are more important
than us we hope to set a new standard in the
hospitality industry. It is our dream that this philosophy
of excellence will impact not only our great motel, but
our community and ultimately--the world.
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what's
in a name?
Back in the summer of 2003, a friend of the family
visited us in Wallowa County all the way from Concrete
City -
Patterson, New Jersey. While camping in
the Eagle Caps for the first time, wide-eyed Jimmy Nawicki awoke to God’s
grandeur and penned his famous (in our circles) ‘Rugged Country’ lyrics.
The male part of the Lodge’s partnership voted for ‘Rugged Country
Lodge,’ remembering with a smile Jimmy’s song, while the female
half wanted ‘Dream Soft’ to appeal to the more feminine side.
And, after all, this sure is rugged country.
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| history
Rugged Country Lodge was built sometime in the 1950's and was first known as
the Pioneer Motel. When the current owners purchased it, the tired little
place was being run as the Budget Inn and badly in need of some TLC.
Christmas
Eve of 2003, Community Bank,
headquartered in Joseph, Oregon, presented a deed for the motel property
to Providence
Academy of Classical Christian Education, a private classical Christian
school in Lostine, Oregon. The bank had repossessed the neglected motel
property from its former owners before donating it to the school.
Unfortunately, that winter, Pendleton experienced one of its coldest,
and all of the motel's plumbing and pipes had frozen before Providence
Academy had a chance to winterize the property. Undaunted, a few naive
personal investors decided to plunge ahead with the Rugged Country Lodge
project anyway. We agreed to lease the motel grounds from Providence
Academy and after a major and lengthy renovation, the all-new Rugged
Country Lodge opened its doors to travelers in July of 2004. It has been
a labor of love and an experience we wouldn't trade--despite all the
remodeling surprises along the way!
Hmmmm, that is quite another
story and space wouldn't permit. Besides, we wouldn't want
people to know just how naive we
were! The old saying "ignorance is bliss" is definitely
true! Needless to say, countless hours were spent in trying
to create a "home away from home" for the weary
traveler that reflected what we wanted when we hit the road
(and we do that a lot.) We wanted a place that exuded a warm
yet peaceful atmosphere where our guests would become like
old friends, returning many times; almost more like a bed-and-breakfast
than a motel. We have always been thrilled by the prospect
of finding just such a little family-owned place when we
travel-–but seldom do.
Each detail was painstakingly
researched for months and months and lovingly thought through—right down to the
lavender on the beds, the Moran prints on the walls and the
Albert Bierstadt butterflies done on quality archival watercolor
paper in the bathrooms. We also hoped to retain as much of
the vintage charm of the place as possible (including the
original black tile in the bathrooms) while weaving throughout
the themes of nature and the earth—so entwined in
this corner of Northeast Oregon. May our little motel be a place of peace and refuge for
you, weary traveler, and may we see you many more times....Dream
Soft! |
our staff
Good help is hard to find! We are so grateful for our providentially-found
staff who love Rugged Country Lodge as much as we do. They treat the Lodge
like their home and our guests like their family. Without our cheerful staff,
there would be no Rugged Country Lodge. Occasionally, the boss and the accounts
manager make it over to Pendleton to help out (or is it stress out?) the
regular Rugged Country Lodge staff ...
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rimrock
inn
During the same time we were working day and
night to remodel the Rugged Country Lodge, our son and
son-in law were busy with another family project, the
RimRock Inn. This old favorite restaurant overlooking
breathtaking canyon scenery had a thorough makeover in
the Spring of 2004 and was re-opened that July under
our son’s management. Wallowa County's destination
restaurant, the RimRock Inn, is perched on the edge of
Joseph Creek Canyon in a historic roadhouse 34 miles
north of Enterprise and offers a carefully chosen menu
of steaks, pastas, seafood, panini sandwiches, soups,
salads and nightly specials.
The RimRock offers some of the best made-from-scratch
entrees in Oregon for lunch and dinner, served in our
beautiful dining room or on our deck. White table cloths
and napkins paired with a Western rustic setting makes
everyone feel at home---you can dress up or dress down
to suit your mood! The range of Northwest fine wines,
microbrews, hand-roasted coffee, espresso and gourmet
desserts, along with the ever-changing Joseph Canyon
views take dining on the edge to a whole new level!
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Summer 2005, the RimRock added shaded
RV sites with full hookups along with authentic fully-outfitted
tipis, for an upscaled canyon camping experience. Reservations
for dinner and lodging are required, so call early---peace
and quiet guaranteed! Please see our website for more
information: www.rimrockrestaurant.com or
call (541) 828-7769.
Travel Oregon's Spring/Summer 2006 issue featured
the RimRock Inn in an article on restaurants with incredible
views. Visit www.traveloregon.com for a free copy of
the magazine!
The RimRock Inn was listed as Northeast Oregon's
best dining experience in The
Great Towns of Oregon by travel writers David and Joan Vokac, who wrote:
"RimRock Inn is the most
remarkable dining destination in Northeastern
Oregon. Updates of American classic entrees
and a specialty dish each evening are skillfully
prepared from scratch with quality ingredients.
The homemade pies from fresh seasonal fruits
are a perfect finish to "fine dining on
the edge." A handsome old roadhouse has
been transformed into an upscale dinner house
where tables set with full linen and candles
overlook a panoramic view of immense Joseph
Canyon." |
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