Echo Valley Ranch & Spa Blog

Echo Valley Welcomes A New Operations Manager

May 11th, 2012

Echo Valley Ranch and Spa is pleased to welcome a new member of the staff. Alan Pineo is the new Operations Manager and will be responsible for all facets of the daily business at the ranch including accommodations, the kitchen, trail guides, spa therapists and guest services.

Alan Pineo is the new operations manager at Echo Valley Ranch and Spa

Alan brings a valuable and interesting history to Echo Valley. His latest accomplishment was the opening of a $4 million travel centre in Valemount, BC. Prior to that, his experience in the tourism industry was over on the BC coast as general manager of both the Canadian Princess Resort and Wickinninish Restaurant near Tofino, where he was also a director and president of the Tofino Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Alan’s expertise in operations management includes band manager of the Adams Lake Indian Band and the band manager of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band. No stranger to ranches, Alan also owned and operated Birch Lake Ranch near Princeton and owned and operated the Loft Restaurant in Tofino.

Former and future guests are encouraged to call Alan directly at the ranch at Echo Valley with any queries about accommodations and services at 250-459-2386. For other inquiries and bookings, contact the Echo Valley office in Vancouver at 604-669-3230.

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This Little Piggy Went to Market, This Little Piggy Stayed Home

May 7th, 2012

An event of great magnitude occurred this week at Echo Valley; three junior piggies arrived to make their contribution towards Echo Valley achieving GOLD status in its quest to become recognized as a sustainable business in the “green tourism” category.

Job 1 for the piglets was to inspect their new headquarters

In order to achieve that shade of green, the prime function of the piggies will not be painting all the ranch buildings a new colour. Instead, they will do what pigs do best; Eat! They will shoulder their responsibility bravely, and do what comes naturally. That is, eat and digest every item of leftover food from the kitchen, letting nothing go to waste.

Part of the experience will be to observe just how large these little piggies will grow. They were born nearby in the town of Quesnel six weeks ago. They are currently inspecting and approving their new quarters, the pigsty hidden behind the green house (there’s that word again) above the creek, next to the lower horse corral.

Job two for the piglets was to start work immediately, and EAT!

Over the next ten years, guests to EVR will be able to compare this photo of the piglets to the current size of the pigs at that time, and wonder at the bounty of Mother Nature. In short, in 10 years, if Nan get’s her way, and she usually does, these little piggies will be quite big, and everyone who looks at them and watches them eat will say” What pigs!”

As of the day of their arrival the piglets had no names, and the challenge will be for Echo Valley staff to identify and name their habits. All are female, so it may not be possible to name them Larry, Curly and Moe (in honour of the Three Stooges) but certainly one of them could be called Miss Piggy (in honour of Sesame Street). Application forms to name the piglets may be obtained in writing from the EVR office, or from Revenue Canada.

Job 3 for the piglets was to immerse themselves deeply into their work.

Tags: pigs
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Arctic Air and Echo Valley Celebrate the Renewal of the TV Series

May 3rd, 2012

The cast and crew of the top-rated CBC series Arctic Air are happy to learn that their show has been renewed for another season. So are the staff at Echo Valley, who hope that the TV crew returns to shoot footage again at the ranch. Last winter the ranch served as a location for an episode of the series.

The Artic Air crew trucked in snow and other necessities – like a crashed plane.

Echo Valley maintains its own landing strip, is surrounded by forests and mountains, and has the facilities to lodge up to 40 guests at a time. Normally, in the winter, the valley has lots of snow as well. All these components were needed by the Arctic Air crew to shoot a scene in which Echo Valley stood in for the Northwest Territories. The only problem was, for the first time in memory, there was almost no snow at Echo Valley on the shooting dates!

Nan and Norm welcomed Arctic Air stars Adam Beach and Pascale Hutton to the lodge.

Never deterred, the TV crew simply trucked in the snow they needed from elsewhere, and 74 cast and crew members spent a week shooting footage in the forest near the Lodge. Half the crew were required to stay in Clinton, while some lucky members of the cast got to stay right on the property.

The cast and crew enjoyed a dinner and a big party on the final night of shooting

A fine time was had by all every night, with Echo Valley’s chef Jason cooking up a storm. On the final night everyone enjoyed a party, and the Echo Valley staff now hopes that the Arctic Air series continues its successful TV ratings in 2012 and returns again to enjoy the comforts of the lodge. Hopefully there will be lots of snow for everyone!

Co-star Kevin McNulty posed with the dogs, and proves there was even some snow!

Tags: arctic air
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Echo Valley Opens Again For 2012 Season

April 20th, 2012

Spring has sprung in the Cariboo. Echo Valley Ranch and Spa is now back open for the 2012 season, and summer is not far behind.

Snow was still on the ground in early April when Norm and Nan arrived back from their winter trips to Thailand and New Zealand, but the traditional opening ceremony was held out on the lawn with the staff. Yes, Echo Valley Ranch is once again open for the season!

Great news is that ten calves have been born on the ranch so far this spring. One of them is as friendly as our Border collie dogs. He’ll nudge you with his nose and ask for an ear rub, and everyone is happy to oblige.

New Echo Valley Calf

Mama was proud to bring a new baby into the Echo Valley world

Papa Bull

Papa Bull has been proud of his contribution to bring 10 calves into the world this spring

Wildlife Spotting a Sure Sign of Spring

Speaking of babies, one of the staff reports that a young cougar (mountain lion) was spotted the other day. It’s very rare to ever see a cougar of any age near the ranch. They are very reclusive creatures and stick to the woods, which is where it likely has gone. Down in the Fraser Canyon, a few miles away, the word is that there are hundreds of deer and California Bighorn Sheep nibbling on fresh tender shoots, a sure sign that spring is finally here.

Our first guests of the season have already arrived, and the horses are chomping at the bit to get going on the trails. The grass is still brown, but the trees are budding and will soon spring to green. See you here soon.

Tags: calves, spring opening, wildlife
Posted in Cattle ranching, Echo Valley Ranch & Spa, The Ranch | No Comments »

Echo Valley Ranch takes a break

October 27th, 2011

The summer season is over. And Echo Valley Ranch closes down for the winter – almost. Already in December, we will open back up for our guests.

The summer is over. And fall is almost over as well. Time for the Echo Valley Ranch team to look back at the summer season and take a breather. This is why, Echo Valley Ranch will close down for six weeks from 31 October – and will re-open for our guests 15 December until 8 January 2012.
For now, we can look back at a wonderful and successful summer season with many great guests from all over the world: Countless campfires. Many interesting conversations. Hikes. Fly fishing. Gold panning. Trail rides. Spa treatments. And last but not least our unforgettable Kids Weeks during the summer months, which brought so much fun and laughter to the ranch. Our eight Border Collies gave it their all, entertaining our guests with their playful manner, making them feel welcome and getting as much cuddles as possible in the process. This summer, we were also able to welcome ten new horses at Echo Valley Ranch. Already next summer season, some of them will be ready to take guests out on our beautiful trails.

Many thanks to all our guests
After countless beautiful rides, our horses are in need of a well-deserved break. That is why, all of them are now out together in the big field where they will spend the winter – so that they will be well-rested next spring to take our guest out anew.
The EVR team would like to use this opportunity to thank all of our guests who found the way to Echo Valley this summer. We had a great time with each and every one of you! Thank you very much.