Recent Posts from ECHO Staff
Wine Tasting for our Rogue River Trips
Southern Oregon's Rogue River Valley is quickly becoming a hot spot in the wine making industry. With over 40 wineries in the Bear Creek, Applegate, and Illinois river valleys, the task of narrowing down which wineries to feature on our Rogue trips this year seemed daunting. We began talking to a few of the local wineries just to talk prices and quantities, since we were hoping to return home with thirty plus cases of delicious wines. Having a couple definite stops in mind, we hoped fate...
Celebrating the Month of May and Welcoming June!
Summer is finally here and we're so excited that the warm weather is starting to shine through! Our trips on the the Rogue River during the past month had amazing scenery, cascading waterfalls and abundant wildflowers! Although we're sad to see May end, we are more than excited to greet the beginning of June. Here are a few photos of the Rogue River and a few amazing quotes our guests wanted to share: "The guides were fun and fascinating. A true asset to the company and...
Biggest Snow Pack on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River Since 1974!
The latest reports from Idaho are predicting amazing flows on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River throughout the 2011 season. The Salmon River basin has a snow pack of 140% of average, which hasn't been seen in over 35 years. The Middle Fork of the Salmon River's Facebook Page has come alive with predictions and wagers for the peak flow, and outfitters are preparing for higher then normal flows this summer! Unlike other seasons that had the Middle Fork flows dwindling by the end of...
ECHO Trip Named National Geographic Tour of a Lifetime
ECHO's trip to Siberia's Kaa-Khem River has just been named one of the 50 Tours of a Lifetime, 2011 by National Geographic Traveler! We welcome the recognition of this amazing trip that will be lead by ECHO guide, Vlad Garilov this July. We are so honored that National Geographic continues to highlight our small business alongside many of the big names in adventure travel. What began as a past-time for Joe Daly and Dick Linford has grown into a successful travel company that strives to provide...
Rogue River Writing Workshop
Join us for a four-day, three-night rafting trip/writing workshop on Oregon's beautiful Rogue River. The workshop will be led by Ellen Waterston, an award-winning writer, poet, and speaker whose books include Where the Crooked River Rises, a collection of essays about central Oregon; Then There Was No Mountain, a memoir; and Between Desert Seasons and I am Madagascar, collections of poetry. She is also the founder and director of The Nature of Words and the Writing Ranch, institutions dedicated to the teaching of writing. She has...
Sometimes the Key Ingredient isn't Actually in the Food
Here at ECHO, we redefine gourmet. As a company that specializes in family friendly trips, we have customers of all shapes, sizes and tastebuds and oftentimes the smaller the tastebud, the harder to please. Because of this, ECHO gourmet means using flavor filled ingredients to create amazing meals with a pinch of fun! It’s the combination of awesome flavors and a fun setting that make cooking on the river the perfect environment to introduce kids to meals they may not try at home. Simple salmon steamed...
A Yoga River Rafting Trip is the Perfect Vacation
Last year's passengers on the yoga rafting trips called it their "Best Vacation!" Picture this: An incredible canyon, lots of yoga (all levels welcome) and exercise, delicious healthy food, fun and interesting people, adventure, music around the campfire, hiking, wildlife, and more stars at night than you can imagine. Bring the whole family - the yoga is optional. Yoga stretching is offered in the morning while the guides cook breakfast and we do a full yoga practice in the afternoon, along the river at camp after...
Winter Boating With Emma
A wise woman once said: "What I love most about rivers is, you can’t step in the same river twice. The water’s always changing, always flowing." Although this "wise woman" might actually be the animated Disney character, Pocahontas, she does have a valid point. One of the most exciting things about rivers (and river trips for that matter) is that no two days are ever the same. Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to raft one of my favorite stretches of water – the Smith...
Featured Trips for 2011
Kid Deals on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River - We've learned through the years that kids love river trips and for good reason! They have their parents' undivided attention, they are immersed in nature for multiple days and they get to run, splash, hike, laugh and get as dirty as they want. ECHO loves to share the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with families and we have 2 trips this year at a significantly reduced rate for kids 7-17 to get the whole...
Vintage Video of Siberia's Kaa-Khem River
We've spent all week learning about the homeland of our beloved river guide, Vladimir, in preparation for a trip down the Kaa-Khem River in Siberia. We compiled some of the footage of Vlad's 1986 trip for your enjoyment. The sweet sounds of the synthesizer may lull you into a trance, but try to stay focused or you'll miss the short-shorts and the Russian "river sauna" segment. It's been 25 years, but Vlad is anxious to return to the Kaa-Khem and would love to journey down this...
