Rome Station Cafe in Jordan Valley, OR

On the Border

Don and I stopped for lunch at this little cafe/gas station, during our August road trip.

I didn't realize until writing this up, that we were actually in Oregon. Our roadside stop was practically on the border of Oregon and Idaho.

Drive to Winnemucca

We left my brother's house in Boise and felt lucky to find this quirky oasis, about a third of the way to Winnemucca, Nevada.

As we pulled up, I noticed a few vehicles in the lot. I wondered about the snazzy camper jeep. I'm sure that's not what you call it, but it was clearly equipped for adventure.

Dining In or Out?

There were some shade trees and some picnic tables on a deck. One couple occupied a table.

There were also a few cabins nearby. The shed-like structures didn't look too appealing. We decided we'd go for inside dining.

Counter or Table?

We had another decision once we stepped inside. We could sit at the counter and watch some kind of rescue program playing on TV. 

The 4 stools also had a good view of the narrow window into the kitchen. 

Corner Table

We chose one of the 4 tables instead. It was right next to the counter, so I could still watch the activity and admire the knotty pine. A pine ceiling even!

The sticker on the soda machine told me that we were dining at a Veteran Owned business. I could read the daily specials on the board. I could also hear what the wifi password was, when an inquiring diner asked. "TRUMP WINS" I did not type that into my phone.

Table With View

Our table was in the corner near windows and we could peek out the blinds... or study the gold collection in the case... or read a plaque that reminded us, "Cowgirls are like barbwire. Handle carefully."

A display of dates, showed us some kind of involvement with local FH and FFA. The first year was 1992. The cafe felt older, but that could indicate the age of this Rome Station business.

Shopping

Just past the dining counter, I found a tiny store tucked into the back of the small building.

I could go shopping while I waited for food.  Handy for the folks staying in the tiny cabins.

​Restroom Adventure
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I could do a little shopping without leaving the cafe, but if I needed to wash my hands it was an extra adventure. The restrooms were located in back of the cafe.

It was a confusing little cluster of buildings. Who knows what the "white" building was for? Or what the message on the metal roof meant? The restroom doors were located to the right of the old building. I would recommend visiting AFTER lunch. I'm not the pickiest in the world, but the bathroom experience was not pleasant.

Lunch

We didn't converse much with our server, since she seemed quite busy. Was she cooking as well? Our food arrived and we were fairly pleased.

Don's hand-pressed burger was just $7.25. Extra for fries. Both were quite tasty.

My cup of chicken noodle soup was only $4.75! I would have preferred more flavor, but that's usually what you get with chicken noodle soup. The noodles tasted like yummy dumplings. That works for me. 

My dinner salad was mostly iceberg, with tomato and cheese. I don't expect fancier or healthier, when at a roadside cafe. But what a price! $3.75! 

Alarming Report

We were just starting in on our meal when the woman we'd seen on the deck, popped her head into the cafe. She looked at us with an odd smile and asked,  "Are you the owners of the car from California?" Don answered that we were driving a rental with California plates.

The woman, with a very cute hat and an accent, reported an alarming message. "Well you have a big bird on the front of your car!" Don and I sort of winced at each other and chuckled. We explained that we'd driven through a flock of birds an hour earlier. We'd felt a THUNK and worried that we'd hit one of the birds.

Poor Dear Bird

The couple was still on the deck when we finally came out. It's a very sad thing that the bird encounter ended up with a deceased bird stuck to the front of our car. 

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The whole predicament was oddly funny. This dear bird, (which appeared to be a prairie chicken) was very securely attached. The couple, who owned the jeep, turned out to be a very entertaining pair. We pondered the problem together for quite a while.

Stories and Feathers

Maria and I did most of the talking. She was more amused than saddened by the whole thing. She initially thought we'd wired the bird to the grill as a display. She must have wondered about those crazy people with the creepy car decor! 

Our bird talk led to more chatting. They were the owners of the Jeep. Ready to meet with 8 other vehicles, to head off for a week of wilderness camping. When Maria mentioned she was from Guatemala, Don and I chatted about our stay with a family years ago. Before we headed off, I complimented Maria's hat and hinted that she could use a few feathers for her hat. I gestured towards the car. She wasn't convinced.

Another Hat

I told Maria to hold on. I dashed to the car and grabbed an Austrian hat, that my brother had just given me during our Boise visit. 

I showed Maria just why she needed some feathers. She cracked up, because as you can see this hat has almost too many feathers. And some kind of look like prairie chicken feathers.

Ladies in Hats

​Maria once again declined to take the bird or feathers, but we decided to get a photo of ourselves. A kind man who had just parked, took our photo. 

What a goofy little lunch stop with a cringe-worthy wifi password and not so nice bathrooms. But the food was decent, the prices were low and the people encounter was mighty memorable!
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