Tour of the Unknown Coast, Winter Solstice, 2004
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We swooped down through a number of hairpin turns.

Capetown sits in a little notch in the coastal ridge and offers a dairy farm and not much else. Just a few buildings. No store.

At the bottom we crossed the Bear River. From there we climbed again, this time a steep climb, well into the teens, percentage-wise. It had me gasping.

That stiff climb behind us we approached one of the most scenic parts of the ride: Cape Mendocino, the furthest west point in California. Note the gravel road: Mattole Road is in a constant state of flux—can be closed at times.

Here I hurtle down towards the rock of Cape Mendocino. The grade is quite steep—18% in places. In the official Tour of the Unknown Coast they climb this puppy and they call it, for good reason, "The Wall." It is a ramp with no relief.

Of course, Patrick and I had to take plenty of photos. Here, I climbed back up the road. In the background is the road we would follow down the coast.

Here, Patrick climbed back up.

OK, enough photos. Time to descend all the way down.