572. Adventure Flight through the rugged Nicola River Valley to Ashcroft via Merritt, Jun 22, 2026

It was a perfect day for exploring new places from the air. The first leg carried me through the always beautiful Nicola Valley to the Merritt airport for a short stop. After flying over the small city of Merritt, I followed the lush green corridor of the Nicola River and Highway 8 to Spences Bridge area. The gentle countryside soon gave way to the raw, dramatic nature of a narrow and deeply cut valley without any still naturally green areas. The east slopes sat in heavy shadow while the west slopes warmed in the sun, a combination that can easily spark turbulence. Several converging valleys met in complex junctions that offered little reassurance doe to possibility of seriously confusing air flows. Even so, the weather held, and the flying conditions were nearly perfect. The experience is difficult to capture in words. I may well be the first to document these low level aerial views of this region. I passed over Spences Bridge and continued through the intimidating Thompson River valley to Ashcroft for a slow, deliberate flight. The final leg returned to calming terrain as the Thompson River valley opened toward Savona, Tobiano, and Kamloops. A total of 255 km (158 mi) of unforgettable flying.