Ice Age group fall tour details announced

The Palouse Falls Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute recently announced its plans for its fall field trip tour Oct. 7 to Saddle Mountain, located south of State Route 26 between Othello and Vantage. The bus tour will begin through the Drumheller Channels and then head south to Saddle Mountain. The tour will then head into the ghost town of Corfu and follow the diverted Ice Age Columbia River to Beverly. The group will then pass through the Sentinel gap, and a barbecue lunch and tour will be served at the Ginko Forest Winery. Wine will be sold separately.

After lunch, the tour will continue to the Hanford Reach National Monument area on the south side of the mountain. The group will go to the top of Saddle Mountain to view the Drumheller Channels and the Corfu landslide. At the end of the day, the tour group will return to Othello through some of the Othello channels.

The field trip will be led by Lloyd Stoess and Paul Dunster, chapter president and vice president, respectively.

For those meeting in Othello, the meeting time is 9 a.m. at the corner of Fir and 12th streets next to the swimming pool. There will also be pick ups arranged in Colfax, LaCrosse, Washtucna and Hatton Coulee earlier in the morning. The bus will leave the meeting spot promptly at 9:10 a.m.

The bus will return to the original meeting spot no later than 4 p.m., and passengers who were picked up at other locations will be taken back. Those who need one of the pick up and drop off locations should indicate it on their registration forms.

Tour participants are advised to bring binoculars, cameras, sunglasses and clothing for variable weather conditions. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

The cost of the trip will cover the field trip leaders, a detailed field trip guidebook, the snacks and drinks, the barbecue lunch and the bus trip plus a microphone system for lectures. No pets will be allowed on the field trip.

The fee for non-Ice Age Floods Institute members is $85, and it is $70 for members. Teachers and students can register for $40.

If wishing to be a member of the institute, registration can be completed at the same time as the trip registration. Individual membership cost is $40 for basic dues, $70 for benefactor and $130 for sustainer. Family memberships are $55 for basic dues, $100 for benefactor and $190 for sustainer. Student membership is $10.

Registration for the field trip can be completed by contacting Jacqui Turner, field trip registrar, at jacturner@live.com or 509-301-0007.