Living on the Edge

J & I high-fived last Sunday as we entered Oregon, marking it as our 11th state we've lived in (collectively). Living in the Pacific Northwest as I always wanted, a big plus. Learning a new address and telephone number, a big minus. 

So what is our role at RimRock (RR)? Well, it is both lodging and restaurant. Lodging includes 1 suite and 1 apartment (which we are living in right now and it is pretty dope).Then we have 3 tipis (but maybe 4 this season), tent spots and RV spots. The "restaurant" part is because RR is a bed and breakfast, but we also serve dinner by reservation for guests and outside public (if we can accommodate). I say "restaurant," but it is not what you are thinking. We have a prix fixe menu and it is the same every week. Plus, we have an onsite chef and we are just assistants in the kitchen (phew, right?). The place is run by the 3 of us and we each have our signature roles, but will do a little bit of everything. Last year was RR's first year in business and the owners are very hands off, so the business is still very new.

We don't open for guests until Memorial Day weekend (there is little sign of spring here yet and snow has fallen at least 4 days since we arrived!). For now and the next few weeks, we are getting the building put back together (it was shut down all winter and has lots of maintenance issues), learning the business and just getting acquainted with the area. 

A main priority was hiking (for the benefit of telling future guests where to go of course)! We did a 10-mile roundtrip hike to check out Joseph River at the bottom of the canyon. Simply can't believe this is in our backyard. There are MANY more trails to explore, so I expect there will be MANY more pictures! 






We also took a trip to the local brewery (complete with stray cats) to sample the beer and watch the UConn game (mind you we had to drive 45 minutes to get there … but tempted to do it to watch them win again tonight!)

The pictures simply can't do the area justice. The vistas are surreal. The lodge and its grounds are on the edge of a 2000-foot basalt (volcanic rock) canyon. Seriously, walk out our door 75 yards and the canyon goes straight down. The snow-capped Eagle Cap Wilderness is visible on a clear day. We are east-facing, so the sunrises almost make even us want to get out of bed early (hasn't happened just yet).

There is also a scarcity of human life here, but an abundance of wildlife. We saw tracks and scat for deer, elk, bobcat, cattle and bear on our hike. 
No cell phone service, no TV, limited Internet, closest gas station, grocery or anything is 35 miles away separated by Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and roaming buffalo. There is a town about 5 miles away, but it is a tried and true ghost town. Washington and Idaho are a hop, skip and a jump away, but still no town there. Let me put it to you this way. If there is a zombie apocalypse, I'm pretty sure we'll be the last to know. 
 there are only ghosts in this "town"
 Here at the beginning of our brand-new adventure, my initial reactions vacillate somewhere between feeling like I am having a bit of anxiety to knowing it will all work out. I guess we just can't resist the unknown and this is it. I mean, who jumps into a restaurant business with no restaurant experience?! It will definitely take some time for us to find our "routine," but I keep telling myself it feels good to be lost in the right direction. I know this will be another unique adventure to add to our docket and, in life, you get just about as many chances as you are willing to take. I came across this quote recently and I think it resonates well with what's to come.

"In the adventure known as life, there are those who live it vicariously, and enjoy the ride from the safety of an armchair. There are those who have a few chances to realize incredible and life-changing experiences, and although they don't repeat them, they carry with them a growth and personal philosophy for the rest of their lives. And there are those for whom a fast is never enough. For whom the lust of adventure is insatiable. And if you add to that the overwhelming desire to create and to share, then you get where I reside. Where the end of one adventure, only signifies the beginning of another." 
- Les Stroud, survival expert/TV personality (not that I ever watched his show Survivorman)

We're ready for the ride. Are you? 


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