We packed out of Baker City, OR relatively early this morning. It was 9 a.m. when we hit the road for another six hours of fun while driving. I have to confess, by the end of the day I had maxed out on seat-time. But the ride through “cowboy country” as I call it, was still enjoyable.

When we reached Jerome, ID it was time for a fill up for our little Prius, Dixie, and a lunch fill up for us. Jerome is not on the map because of their fine dining choices. We settled for a Pizza Hut – and actually enjoyed it. The experience – much the same in any Pizza Hut – threw us 41 years back in time to when we were dating and Pizza Hut was an expensive date. Funny how the memories flooded back.

From Jerome we headed toward Wells, NV under partly cloudy skies. But the clouds were beautifully sculpted and spots of sun shone through them brilliantly. The landscape all the while was scrub grass and sage brush with varying elevations. Just like the cowboy country of all the Westerns we watched as kids.

There’s not much to Wells, NV, but they do have a Super 8 Motel, and we were certainly ready to extricate ourselves from the car! After checking into a room, I immediately went for a walk.
I walked around for about 3 miles and I think I saw most of the town. It’s a sad little mix of small houses, trailers, abandoned motels, a few very small churches, a school and a municipal park with two ball fields. I think there may be more dogs than inhabitants; more trucks than drivers, and only 3 possible places to eat: Subway, Quiznos, and Bella’s Espresso and Bistro.

The hotel manager assured us that Bella’s was the place to go. We trusted he knew what he was talking about. And, he did! It’s a cute little place decorated with old aprons strung along the windows like curtains. We split a dinner of chicken fried steak and it was fabulous. Honestly, I love chicken fried steak and I’ve sampled my share from sea to shinning sea.
Bella’s was absolutely THE BEST chicken friend steak I’ve ever had the honor to enjoy. Put Wells, NV on the map! It’s not the end of the earth! Bella’s is worth a return trip. If you are ever going East on I-80 or South on US-93 – at the intersection of those two roads is Wells, NV and Bella’s Bistro. Sometimes grace comes in unexpected places.

Full and happy we walked back to our Super 8 to catch up on e-mail and write this blog. Getting the internet working was a challenge, believe me, but my technical expert, driver, tour guide and permanent date is a master at working around tough technical glitches. Hope you enjoy!

Here we are, two long (and skinny) shadows on the road in Wells, NV as we walked to Bella’s (on the right) at sunset.