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Outfitted River Tours Bring Families Together
Family river trips are a great way to provide an exciting and unique family vacation. The ability to experience the beautiful and unspoiled American west, enjoy the outdoor life in the company of family and friends, and learn about native
cultures while simultaneously feeling the exhiliaration of world class whitewater make multi-day river floats a top family vacation choice.
Idaho's outdoors bring together families of all ages. In this issue we focus on the Simon family of New York, who came back to Idaho in 2005 to relive the Middle Fork experience as a family for the second time in order to share it with the
newest member of their family.
If your family is looking for a great outdoor vacation, look no further than Idaho's Outfitters and Guides. Our licensed outfitters and guides have been making history by providing the best in guided adventures in Idaho and the
Northwest.
Any way you look at it, Idaho's outfitters and guides can make your visit to Idaho special.
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Bringing Families Together Along the Middle Fork
 Whitewater rafting has enjoyed tremendous popularity in recent years, and Idaho offers many rivers of opportunity throughout the state for world-class
rafting for every family member. Rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, however, is one of the most sought-after river experiences in the U.S.
Over the summer of 2005, the John and Susan Simon family of New York came together to experience rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with
Rocky Mountain River Tours for a second time, having taken the journey once before when the children, Catherine and Joe, were younger.
"It was my idea to do it again," said daughter Catherine, who lives with her husband Igor a Serb from Croatia, in New York City. The two met overseas and married in Croatia in 2002.
Catherine recalls looking through family albums and talking with Igor about all the places they had been and things they had done. "I wanted to share all of it with Igor and started thinking about which places and events stood out the
most," Catherine recalls. The Middle Fork rafting trip, she remembers, "was one of the best vacations our family ever had." At that point, they all agreed they should do it as a family again.
 Floating the Middle Fork, says Catherine, "is a lot like a cruise; you float around and see different kinds of wilderness, go on hikes, soak in hot
springs, and see different things."
A true "wilderness" rafting trip, the Middle Fork covers 100 rapids in 100 miles of floating through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. It has drawn many families from around the world for a truly American experience. What
makes it unique, Catherine believes, is that it is so much more interactive and presents an opportunity to have a wilderness experience firsthand, "not just listen to someone talk about it."
The Middle Fork river rafting trip was the perfect choice, according to Catherine. "I wanted Igor to experience the West," she recalls, pointing out that in Europe, much of people's understanding of America comes from movies and the media,
which focus on the urban/corporate lifestyle. Until the Middle Fork trip, Igor had only seen New York and Boston.
"I thought it was amazing," Igor remembers. The experience for him didn't fit the perspective of what the U.S. is about. Europeans, he says, "think more about the politics than nature" when they think about the U.S. For Igor, the trip was
more than experiencing the wilderness -- it was an opportunity to get to know a group of Americans who were drawn together to experience the natural world together. "It was great to see people from different places living in the forest for
a week."
The original family excursion down the Middle Fork occurred when the kids were 10 and 12. The family learned about it from friends who raved about it. According to John Simons, the float trip "is a ‘10' as a family experience. It is a
combination of relaxation and enjoyment of beautiful scenery, great food, good conversation, and interesting people. People usually have something to share that makes for good dinner conversation."
Asked if he would do it again, Igor says "definitely." For him the biggest draw is the great cuisine served along the river. His other camping experiences relied on canned and dried foods. "Being able to eat that wonderful food on the
river in the forest was unprecedented." Igor also was astounded by the Native American rock paintings. "I think I will remember that for the rest of my life."
Photos: At top: the extended Simon family. (l-r) Joe, Susan, John, Catherine and Igor. Middle: A scenic view of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Bottom: Susan, John & Joe Simon enjoy early morning along the banks of
the river.
For more information and a list of licensed outfitters in Idaho, please visit
www.ioga.org.
For additional information on Idaho,
call 1-800-VISIT-ID.
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For more info
on the diversity of both land-based and water-based outfitted activities in Idaho, visit us on the Web at
www.ioga.org.
You can also search our site for Idaho's river outfitters at
www.ioga.org/riverrunningguidesearch.aspx or contact one of these IOGA member outfitters directly:
Action Whitewater Adventures
Adventure Guides
Adventure Sun Valley
Adventures Afloat/Snake River Adventures
Adventures West Outfitters, 208.455.4200
Adventures Wild
Aggipah River Trips
American River Touring Association
Arctic Creek Lodge, 208.865.2372
Barker River Trips, Inc.
Beamer's Landing Inc.
Bearpaw River Expeditions
Boise River Tours
Canyon Outfitters Inc.
Canyons Incorporated
Cascade Adventures
Cascade Raft & Kayak
Custom River Tours
Destination Wilderness
ECHO: The Wilderness Co.
Epley's Whitewater Adventures
Exodus Wilderness Adventures
Flow Adventures
Helfrich River Outfitters
Hells Canyon Adventures III
Hells Canyon Jet Boat Trips & Lodging
Hells Canyon Raft, Inc.
Holiday River Expeditions of Idaho
Hughes River Expeditions, Inc.
Idaho Adventures
Idaho Afloat
Idaho Guide Service, Inc.
Idaho River Journeys
Idaho Whitewater Unlimited, Inc.
Idaho Wilderness Company
Intermountain Excursions LLC
K-Bear River Adventures
Kookaburra Rafting LLC
Mackay Wilderness River Trips, Inc.
Middle Fork Rapid Transit
Middle Fork River Expeditions, Inc.
Middle Fork River Tours
Middle Fork Wilderness Outfitters, Inc.
Mountain River Outfitters
Mountain Travel Sobek
National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)
North Fork Guides
Northwest River Company
Northwest Voyageurs
OARS-Dories, Inc.
Orange Torpedo Trips
Payette River Company, 208.762.8467
Red Woods Outfitter
River Odysseys West (ROW)
Rocky Mountain River Tours
Salmon River Experience
Salmon River Tours Co., Inc.
Sawtooth Adventure Company, LLC
Schaefers Guide Service, 541.896.3789
Silver Cloud Expeditions, Inc.
Solitude River Trips
The River Company #1 & #2
Three Rivers Resort and Rafting
Tight Lines
Tour West, Inc.
Wapiti River Guides
Warren River Expeditions, Inc.
White Cloud Rafting Adventures
White Water West, LLC
Whitewater Expeditions
Wilderness River Outfitters and Trail Expeditions
Winding Waters River Expeditions
World Wide River Expeditions, Inc.
Yellow Jacket River Guides
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OUR MISSION
IOGA is committed
to the conservation and enhancement
of quality outdoor experiences
on Idaho's lands and waters.
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Idaho's
Outfitters
and
Guides
visit
www.ioga.org or email us for your free guide to outfitted vacations in Idaho
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