Ice Age Floods Institute

Deep Lake Potholes Field Trip
2023-09-16 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sun Lakes State Park, Deep Lake Parking Lot (47.58848153536495, -119.34090712166719), WA, United States
Join Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park Rangers for an eye opening field trip to the Deep Lake Potholes in Sun Lakes State Park on Saturday, Sept 16. We will meet in the Deep Lake parking lot at 10:00 AM. Discover Pass is Required.
Years ago, Tom Foster blogged about his visits to these incredible potholes:
I must have stood at this spot for 15 minutes Saturday – Amazing Ice Age Flood features surrounded me. In this shot the pothole, massive butte and hanging coulee all help one visualize the awesome power of the Ice Age Floods. I’m impressed with the large basalt overhang near the skyline. In Bruce Bjornstad’s book “On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods” he describes this undercutting process that was key to the formation of vertical faces in recessional cataracts.
The Interpretive Master Plan for the Ice Age Floods in Washington State Parks describes this group of kolk carved depressions – “Another spectacular feature is a tight cluster of the deep potholes beyond Sun Lake just west of Deep Lake. These potholes lie along the valley bottom and require only a 5-10 minute walk from the road.”

I’d also like to mention that a fall into one of these potholes could be fatal!

TLS: Connell - The Five Great Lakes of the Missoula Floods
2023-09-13 08:00 - 17:00 | Connell Library, 118 N. Columbia, Connell, Washington
The return of the traveling lecture series! Chapter President Lloyd Stoess will review both Glacial Lake Missoula and Glacial Lake Columbia. Although both of these lakes formed for the same reason their history is very different. When the waters in Glacial Lake Missoula were catastrophically released, they entered the Columbia River drainage system. On their way to the Pacific Ocean, the floodwaters were restricted at three different locations forming three temporary lakes. This presentation will give an overview of all of these five great lakes and is a pre-cursor to our fall bus tour that will be coming up on October 7th. Attend one or both, the choice is yours!
Lloyd grew up on a wheat farm eight miles from Palouse Falls but didn’t learn about the Ice Age Floods until he attended EWSC (now EWU) where he graduated in 1974 with a BA in Geography. After college, Lloyd returned to Washtucna to work with his father in their family agricultural equipment manufacturing business where Lloyd still works today.
Lloyd was introduced to the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) in 2001 and became a charter member of the Cheney-Palouse Chapter and later helped found the Palouse Falls Chapter in 2015 where he currently serves as President. In addition to the IAFI, Lloyd stays busy with involvement in the local church, Lions Club, Adams County Economic Development Council, and the Washtucna Heritage Museum/Community Center/Food Bank.
A flyer is available for download. Can’t make this event?
See it in Ritzville on 9/6 at the Adams County Public Works Department @ 7p or in Colfax on 9/13 at the Whitman County Library @ 3:00p!
