Recent Posts from Joe Daly
Passing the Paddle
Hello Friends of ECHO, On April 1, 2015 a major transition takes place for ECHO. That is the day we (Joe Daly and Dick Linford) pass the ECHO ownership paddle to Zach Collier, ECHO’s long-time general manager. Except for Zach’s radiant smile, you will not notice the difference because the company name stays the same and the guides continue their usual excellent work. Only Zach changes his title from general manager to owner. For us (Joe and Dick), ECHO has been a great 43-year career of...
Istanbul
ECHO’S September 9-22 trip to Turkey begins and ends in Istanbul, one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Fascinating only begins to describe this great cosmopolitan city, the world’s fifth largest with over 14 million residents. One-third of its population is in Asia and two-thirds in Europe. Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents and that says so much about its culture and society. Spanning thousands of years, Istanbul’s history easily captures a visitor’s imagination. What other city has...
A Tour of Turkey – A Diverse and Dynamic Country
Turkey sits at a pivotal point on the world map. It is truly a crossroads of world history. Think Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. Stephen Kinzer best summed it up when he said, “No place on earth has been home to so many different civilizations over such a long period of time.” The mere mention of Istanbul stirs one’s imagination like few other cities in the world. Consider that six complete civilizations have existed on its sight. Luckily for us, Istanbul is where we begin our...
News About our Rogue River Rafting Trips
We have made some changes at ECHO in the past few months and are excited to announce them. ECHO's Rogue operation is now fully owned by Northwest Rafting Company. In 2009 long-time ECHO guide and general manager, Zach Collier, co-founded with us (Joe Daly and Dick Linford) a sister operation, Northwest Rafting Company. For the last five years we have successfully run both companies out of the same office in Hood River, OR. That office arrangement will continue. It is hard to imagine a better setting...
Trip Report from Turkey
Our September trip to Turkey finished a few weeks ago, and the reports coming back are very enthusiastic. Because I had interacted with many of the people on the trip before they departed the U.S., I anticipated they would enjoy each other. And they did, in a big way. "From beginning to end the trip was well structured and paced. Yasemin did an excellent job. She exudes positive energy." Our trips to Turkey always have a lot of variety by the very nature of being in...
My Favorite Camp: Little Pine
There are many wonderful camps on the Middle Fork, and I could write a story about the good times I have had at many of those places. High on that list is Little Pine Camp on river left. Camp on the Middle Fork Little Pine gives people lots of options such as hiking, fishing, horseshoes, or simply hanging out around camp. There is a spectacular hike that takes you to a peak with a panoramic view of the river. The hike requires some effort, but it...
The Orange Man
We all have heard of Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, but how many among us have heard of the Orange Man? If you were at ECHO's 40th Reunion Party, you would know what we are talking about. But for those of you who were not, the attached picture will have to suffice. However, the picture does not fully tell the story. It seems the evening's line-up of entertainment was proceeding nicely, until the Orange Man arrived on stage, front and center--his front and center. Mothers put their...
ECHOnomics 101
Dear ECHO Friends, Since so many signs indicate that 2009 is likely to be a challenging financial year for us all, we invite you to join us for ECHOnomics 101. What do all of us want and need especially during tough times? Good Product, Good Service, Good Price -- that's the essence of ECHOnomics 101, our way of running outdoor adventure trips for the past 37 years. Through the Middle East oil embargo of the 1970s, the rampant inflation of the early 1980s, the dot.com bust...
Triumphant Tour of Turkey
How sweet it was. ECHO has just completed its autumn tour of Turkey with an intrepid group of 12 adventurers. We had a great time, with many sites visited and much deliciously prepared food consumed. The added bonus was that we blended beautifully as a group. Most of us arrived a day early in Istanbul and thus had a chance to take a ferry over to the Asian side of the city, walk up a street packed with fresh fruit and vegetable stands, and finish at...
The End of an Era on the Tuolumne River
It is with mixed feelings we announce the sale of our Tuolumne River business. We have operated on the Tuolumne since the very beginning of our company in 1972. We have been involved in two colossal environmental battles to protect the river. Both fights centered around a series of elaborate dams that made no sense to anyone except dam builders. The battle in the early ‘80’s ended with the U.S. Congress protecting the Tuolumne under the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. What a sweet victory....
