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What - Camp and Ride with the Earthriders (Kansas City)
Where - The Ozarks (Northern Arkansas)
When - October 6,7,8 (Columbus Day Weekend)
Why - 50 miles of rocky singletrack, specifically designed for mountain bikes - Nice new National Forest Campground with hot showers right on the trail system. Gone bongo jams around a cracklin fire with some cats that know time.
IMBA EPIC Story

NFS Site

Trailmap (pdf)

This map shows 3 out of the 5 loops at Syllamo

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Way back in the depths of last winter, the folks at http://twentynineinches.com/ announced a new mountain bike festival called the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. I marked the date on my calendar and forwarded the news to my riding friends to see if anyone wanted to join me in Decorah. I had heard that the trails in Decorah were golden….nestled in the Northeast corner of Iowa…….yeah, I said Iowa…….smack dab in the middle of an swath of land missed by the glaciers that covers 4 states (IA, IL, MN, WI) called the driftless area. Bueno!…..and I’ve met a pair of locals from Decorah at Gnome-Fest…..Jeremy and Jeff are both crazy strong riders with bike trials skills that would make a weeble jealous. (weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down) So I hatched a plan to spend the weekend in Decorah along with my youngest son, Hootie-Hoo…..or just Hootie (for short). Hootie’s 15 and just started to get into riding clipless. (more on that later).

The roads from Lacrosse to Decorah were rainy, but things were clearing up by the time we rolled into Decorah between five and six. We registered and met Guitar Ted….Set up camp and hung out at Jeff O’Gara’s campfire with a slew of local riders and the reps from, Titus, Niner and Sling Shot. Eventually… Martini pulled into camp with a cooler full of Grain Belt (Premium) and the beer flowed like the Iowa River. There was a night ride somewhere in there too……I conveniently forgot to bring my lights……thank jah, because I would have killed myself from a combination of diminishing skills and beer brain.

I got Hootie up Saturday morning in time to get get ready for the ten o’clock group ride. Teenagers will sleep until the afternoon if you let them. Everybody assembled in front of the 36” wheeled bike and after the usual long pause….we were off! We crossed the Iowa River and were soon headed up the bluff. Hootie wasted no time, before he stacked hard after catching a pedal (at speed) on a log. On our way to ‘Rocky Road’ we crossed a wooden bridge that was slick as ice that took Hootie down. We started up Rocky Road and I was ‘pacing’ myself……all the way to the back of the pack. The group sorted itself out with about six of us slipping and sliding our way to the top of the bluff on some incredible trails. Once on top…the trail wound its way through a grove of pines, swooping and dancing……we found ourselves smiling. Hootie seemed to be having some guidance system malfunctions….he sporadically rode off the trail…..always to the right……(all that) coupled with the ‘slick as snot’ trail conditions, meant that Hootie was  providing what would normally be a source for cosiderable entertainment……..but as his Dad…..I was justifiably concerned for his safety. After and hour or so…we reached a junction where we could bail back to camp. On the way out, Hootie endo’d into a mud puddle and let out a string of profanity , for which any Father, would be proud. Fifteen years of cursing tutelage from his daddy, had served him well. We cruised back down to Camp on Quarry Hill Road at warp nine. We relaxed back at camp and when most everyone was headed out for another ride on one of the numerous demo bikes available….Hootie and I broke out the Frisbee.  There were demo bikes from Titus, Slingshot, Trek, Gary Fisher, and Salsa.

One of the cool things about this fest was the town of Decorah. We were camped just a few blocks from Water Street (the main drag) and just across the river from the trailhead. So we could just jump on our bikes and explore town as easily as head out to the trails. Decorah is a gem of a town with great parks, museums and is home to Luther College. We rode around town on Saturday afternoon and kinda fell in love with the place.

Just after beer o’clock, it was time to gather at T-Bock’s for some live music, party, raffle thing. We enjoyed some Boulevard Brewing Lunar Ale and chatted with old friends and new. The band tore it up and folks danced till the floorboards were bounce’n up and down. Hootie won a light……Marty won a $250 Dollar Gift Certificate from Slingshot and I won a set of pink (magenta) razzberry Salsa Delgado Race Rims for which, someone from Team Pegasus will pay a King’s Ransome….or something. After the raffle we headed back to camp and grilled up some dinner, somewhere around ten o’clock. More beer flowed and then we retired for the evening.

My hopes that the trails around Decorah would dry out on Sunday were dashed by the thick layer of fog that blanketed the area when we awoke on Sunday Morning. I just couldn’t put Hootie through another brutal ride (full of crashes), so we packed up and headed (due east) into Wisconsin with a plan to ride Blue Mound State Park and then enjoy a swim in the Park’s Pool (conveniently located, right at the trailhead). We had a great ride. The trails at Blue Mound make you work for every inch of trail. Lots of rocks and roots with black diamond option routes that go over some huge rock features with 2 foot drops, for those that enjoy that sort of thing. Hootie got away with just an occaisional  horizontal trackstand along the trail. We plan on returning to Blue Mound to camp and ride in the next couple of months.

The first big Wheeled Ballyhoo was a blast and I just read that there’ll be a Ballyhoo Two, so keep your eye’s peeled to http://twentynineinches.com/ for details for next year. Thanks to everyone that made BWB possible. Mountain Bike Festivals are Sweet as Candy!

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and rides a sweet hard-tail.

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Who? Anyone who loves 29ers or wants to give one a try. Bring the family. Bring your riding buddies. Bring someone who’s never been on a mountain bike. Fun for all!

What? A two day mountain bike festival celebrating big wheels. There will be lots of riding, food and entertainment.

When? June 23-24, 2007

Where? Decorah, Iowa (map it)

Why? Why not? If you like 29ers… come out and have a good time riding with like-minded people. If you’re interested in trying them… come out and throw a leg over the demo bikes that’ll be available.

This event is being put on by TwentyNineInches.com editors, Tim Grahl and Guitar Ted. It’s a two day celebration of big wheels and mountain bikes. The atmosphere will be relaxed and there will be plenty to do…

Riding…
• Demo bikes to try
• Guided rides
• Poker run
• Great trails!

Festivities…

• Live music
• Party at the local watering hole, T-Bocks, Saturday night
• Food
• Freebies

Come join us at the 2007 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo! If you have any questions, contact diggers@twentynineinches.com.

Are you a manufacturer that would like to have your 29 inch bike be part of the demo? Email us at diggers@twentynineinches.com.

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