Dan Pehlke, owner of Hillview Motel in Rufus, stands in a courtyard nestled between two rows of rooms. He is also mayor of Rufus and owns Gorge Outfitters.
Sue Jensen, left, co-owns The Family Market and Deli in Rufus with Dorothy Holliday, at right. In center is their newest employee, Selma Fahrni.
Mark Gibson
Dan Pehlke, owner of Hillview Motel in Rufus, stands in a courtyard nestled between two rows of rooms. He is also mayor of Rufus and owns Gorge Outfitters.
Mark Gibson
Jeff Baunach, owner of Bob's Texas T-Bone in Rufus stands in the dining area.
Businesses in Rufus welcomed officials and members from The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce in October as they celebrated joining the chamber and sought to introduced the region to a few of the special places, and services, available in their small town, located about 34 miles east of The Dalles on Interstate 84 near the John Day dam.
Rufus mayor Dan Pehlke is eager to get the small town of under 300 residents – the actual number fluctuates – on the map. “This is a recreational destination. The people here are awesome, the climate is awesome. Everybody supports on another,” Pehlke said. “Our vision is about bringing people in, creating “memory pockets” so people make this their stop.”
The town, visible from the freeway, is a gateway to the recreation areas below the John Day Dam, as well as the John Day and Deschutes rivers.
Fishing, boating and kite boarding are all popular activities, and Rufus is the place to stay the nights, have a meal, replace a broken fishing rod or pick up picnic supplies and gas.
Businesses in town are coming together, as is the city council, Pehlke said.
Dorthy Holliday and Sue Jensen, co-owners of the Family Market and Deli, 104 First Street, were eager to help get Rufus on the regional map. Both are former employees at the market: Holliday worked there for 20 years, Jensen for 11, and they purchased the deli in 2010 when the previous owner retired.
“We are hoping for more business, more advertising,” Holliday said when asked why they had joined the chamber. Their biggest claim to fame? Their breakfast burritos. “They are done the way you want it done, they are all made fresh, cooked to order,” Holliday said. “We have a full breakfast, all kinds of stuff.” They also provide meals for parties from their extensive menu. Customers typically include truck drivers dropping off the highway, area ranchers, wind farm employees and, when the salmon are running, Native American and sport fishermen.
Four employees work in the market, including the two owners.
Just up the street, Gorge Outfitters Supply, 102 E. First, caters to those fishing, hunting and camping in the region. On a recent Friday, Austin Evans was manning the counter. It was quiet, but Evans, son of owner and mayor Pehlke, said the store was pretty busy April through November. “People hear about us word-of-mouth, a few ads,” said Evans. Fishing and hunting items make up the bulk of their product, and although the gear needed on the Columbia, John Day and Deschutes rivers or for hunting in the area is the same as that needed throughout most of Oregon, Gorge Outfitters has a stable of loyal customers. “We keep our prices pretty dang competitive, and we keep a wide selection of product,” he explained.
Across the street, Bob's Texas T-Bone and Lounge is clearly focused on drawing customers off Interstate 84, although the décor features wildlife art and a warm woods reminiscent of a hunting lodge. The restaurant and lounge was purchased by Jeff Baunach in 2004, who followed in the footsteps of his father, Bart Baunach. It was originally established in 1968 as the “Rufus Tavern” by Robert “Bob” P. Baunach, Jeff Baunach's grandfather.
Jeff Baunach calls the restaurant “home.” As owner, he cooks, cuts meat and manages about 20 employees. “I'm good at it,” he said, and has been involved with the business for as long as he can remember.
Like the Family Market across the street, Baunach many of his customers are truck drivers dropping off the highway for a meal and a drink. In summer, travelers and sportsmen add to the mix and in winter locals make up the customer base. “It's a small town, and always will be,” he said. “We really depend on our freeway traffic. The good thing is we're right on the freeway, people always know we are here because they can see us.”
Mayor Pehlke agrees that Rufus is a small town, but it's full of possibilities, he said. “There are opportunities here,” he explained. In addition to Gorge Outfitters, Pehlke owns and operates the 12-room Hillview Motel.
When He purchased it in 2007, it wasn't much to look at. “That was our first question, do we fix up the inside first, or the outside?”
They decided to start with the inside. “We redid the rooms, that brought people back,” he said. They then began refurbishing the outside, one room at a time, with new siding, doors and windows. “We like to take things and make them pretty,” he said. When he realized refurbishing the outside would be a long, slow process, he decided to add a coat of paint to the entire motel.
“We have people come, they make this their pit stop when they are traveling through the area,” he said.
As Mayor, Pehlke was instrumental in bringing in The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce. “I invited Lisa Farquharson to the council meeting, she made a great presentation,” he said. The council and many of the town's business owners were impressed. “Everybody signed up. We needed to get Rufus on the map.”
Also joining the chamber was the Bulldog Dinner, 602 First Street, one of the first business visitors see as they exit the freeway, and the Baptist Church at Rufus, 309 Wallace Street.
In addition to local businesses getting the word out, Rufus has a number of other projects in the works, said Pehlke. A small industrial park just west of downtown has lots for sale, and the city has 18 residential lots for sale, part of the Gorge Vista housing development.
“The council is also working on a park in the downtown area, with restrooms and a day park,” Pehlke.
With so much to offer, now and in the future, Pehlke is confident that Rufus
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