This is the prettiest part of the ride - a long downhill with most of the mountains of Wakayama Prefecture on either side of you. Judging from the shadows in this photo, I made the right decision in once again opting for speed rather than tourism.

The setting was so nice that I couldn't resist taking one of those bicycle-was-here photos. It would have been an I-was-here photo except that I'd opted not to bring the tripod for the camera...  but it's still a nice photo. Half an hour later, I was rolling up to the train station in Tanabe during school and company rush-hour, ready to grit my teeth and take the packed train home.