Photo Friday: Potholes Coulee

Approximately 17 million years ago lava flowed across what is now eastern Washington into Oregon. Every few thousand years these lava flows would occur and then stop for long periods of time. It would deposit a fine grained rock known as basalt. After the flows stopped permanently large floods ran through this area carving out deep ravines. Eventually, the Columbia River formed and snaked its way through Central Washington. This is the landscape from the Potholes Coulee in the Quincy Lakes unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area showing some of the unique landscape caused by these geologic events.

I captured this image this past Sunday. It was cool, but not cold and a few remnants of a previous snow fall are still visible. When cresting the cliff, I unfortunately startled a flock of geese in Dusty Lake below. I took a moment to appreciate the view and then went to work capturing the beauty before me. In the distance mountains, still covered with snow lay just beyond the unseen Columbia River. As I was finishing up, a hawk climbed into the sky and then out of sight. As I packed up I imagined myself as that hawk flying over the unique landscape.