Oh dear. Thanks for all that work! I am wondering if I ever saw that balloon before. The ones I have hit are all up closer to the mountain. So maybe I never hit as many as I thought I did. Miscounted. That shows you my math skills. As I discussed on another thread.

I am going to give it another shot tonight. My hubby has observed all my "enjoyment" on this and has decided to cycle too. I no longer have full control of the Wiimote. That means I will get less practice. I may never succeed. But I won't quit!

Sorry about the intervention Mokey! Stand firm for your addiction!

That ball on the S shaped ridge was the last one I found, and only with help from this forum. Thanks so much for your help! Now that I've found all 20 though, I've been able to get them all within 30 minutes three times in a row so it is possible. The best way I've found is to start at the top of the mountain (way up past the castle and Duckling Lake) and end at the farthest end of the beach because both the mountain and the beach eat up the most time if you have to go there and back. At first I felt like this was cheating, because I would play just enough to bike up to the top of the mountain, and then I'd quit and play again with that as my starting point. However, I realized that I was actually getting more exercise this way because I'd first bike up the mountain, quit, start again resetting the timer to 30 minutes, get all of the beach balls, and then use the last few minutes remaining to bike like crazy back toward the mountain to try to end as close as possible to the top for next time. In other words, I was getting even more exercise this way, so how can it be cheating since that's the whole point?

Laurie

So if you get all 20 balls you don't have to go to the finish line? I've been trying to plan my route so I end up in town to be close to the finish area but if I don't need to do that it would make a lot of sense to take different routes.

I must say I love this forum. It's great to have other Wii addicts to talk to that can understand the obsession with blue and white balls!

At this level, there doesn't seem to be a real "goal" point -- even after you get the 20 balls, the clock keeps running and the game only ends when you get to 30 minutes. So far, the only reward for getting the 20 balls is a little announcement congratulating you and telling you whether you've beaten the previous time for getting the 20 balls. Meanwhile the clock keeps running as if asking you why you are just sitting there soaking up the limelight instead of continuing to bike? My personal goal now, however, is to get all 20 balls and get back to the top of the mountain before the clock runs out so I'll be positioned for my next run. That, and getting all 20 balls without falling off any cliffs or falling into a river. (Last time I tried taking a short cut across the bay and went out a little too deep and drowned -- not a route I recommend!)

Laurie

Thanks Laurie. I've been trying to plan a route to get to the finish line at the end but if I don't need to do that it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

Can you believe: I was driving to work this morning, saw a grassy ledge near a rock embankment and actually looked to see if there was a ball there I laughed at myself all the rest of the trip. Wonder what I'd have done if there was one. Drive into it and crash my car?

Thanks for the moutain top start tip. Hopefully I can do better from there.

I started from the beach because that's where I was, and made it all the way around for 20 balls in 28:05.2 sec. I really had hoped for more fanfare for my accomplishment and the game only keeps your kms, not the time to achieve the 20 balls. I can die happy now that I've made it around. I see that my daughter had beaten my score on Island View so I'll have to get on that and take back my first place.

How? That is what I can't figure out. It seems utterly impossible. But I'll keep going.

I actually use the basic route you posted with a few variations. I start at the far end of the beach and come all the way back to the tunnel to get those 4. Up the hill for the one above the tunnel, into the passage for the one in the sand pit, out and across the swinging bridge, get the one in the field and then down the passage but I go straight across to the falls and up for the ones at the castle area. Back down and get the one on the small ledge but I just jump off the edge to the road rather than go back. Head up to the lighthouse the hit the paved road to the left and get the 2 balls in the fields to the temple, back down to the left on the paved road. Carry on back to the little S ridge before the big red bridge, back to the base of the bridge for the one on the left, over the bridge, ball on the left in the grass, straight on around that building and out to the one on the other side of town behind the building, then back to the park in town for the last one.

I pedal pretty much the whole time without coasting and try to head across grass anywhere I can to cut off a bit of time. I hit the wall and a tree at the castle so it took a bit off my time and I didn't zig zag enough on one hill and stopped so I think I can shave more time off of it yet.

okay kescah,
This is how we go around the island

start at the end of the beach. Get the 3 on the beach, then go to the fourth near the man made tunnel.
Go up the rock face and thru the tunnel to the ruins.
Get the 2 around the lake then head to the light house and then down the hill.
(there is some dispute with the next move between hubby and I) I then get the one over the ledge before doing the waterfall tunnel, then the other tunnel Hubby does the waterfall tunnel, then the ledge, then the other tunnel.
Get the one on the plateau, cross the high bridge and go to the sand pit tunnel.
Turn left out of the tunnel, then get the one going towards the man made tunnel.
If you slam on the brakes, then turn hard right, and get the balloon on the "hidden bank"
Get one near the bridge,
the 2 on either edge of town.
Now get the one in town, go up the ramp then ride as far as you can before the time runs out, back towards the beach.

We've found if you go over the ramp near the suspension bridge its quicker to go back onto the beach.

Hope this helps