For my wife and myself, the Alto de Etxauri was the first and the last obstacle during a bike tour through a large part of Spain. The climbs to the pass, both that from the east and that from the west, are not really hard. During the latter 408 meters in altitude are overcome. The last 3.5 kilometers are harder (5.5% on average) than the first 7.5 kilometers (average 2.2%). The ride begins at the bridge over the río Ubagua. After six kilometers of cycling Salinas de Oro is reached, where many bare fields surrounded by low dikes catch the eye. These are salt evaporation ponds, which in the past were used to extract salt ("sal" in Spanish). In the area upstream of the village, salt formations lie beneath the surface. This salt is transported by the rivers to Salinas, where in earlier times the salt-rich water was directed to the saltworks. The water was left in the salt pans where it evaporated in a natural way, leaving the salt behind.