I slept great all night last night, it was totally quiet except the crickets, owls, and the occasional songbird. I left the park and headed due east right into the wind. It wasn't that bad but I do miss the west winds. It didn't take all that long to get close to Ames and I jumped on a bike path beside a gravel road and cornfields. I was able to pretty much stay on paths the entire way through town. I stopped at a Casey's and grabbed a couple things, and when I came outside the town fire alarm was going off and it was ear splitting. It stopped as I began riding away though. I continued north along the river valley and found a trail beside the river. It was proper singletrack but pretty smooth and level and a lot of fun. Surrounded by dense woods which certainly helped block the wind. I then rode a short gravel road, and then back onto double track that turned back to single. It was really beautiful as the maples were in full color. Soon though I came back to pavement, and rode through Story City. I crossed I-35 and set about fighting the wind on a series of loose gravel roads. A lot of them had been recently graded and were loose and rocky. I stopped in Radcliffe for a snack and soda before the final push through the wind. I was only about 9 miles out from Eldora and got a puncture in my front. I put in what I thought was a good tube but it had a small hole so I put another good one in rather than rack my brain trying in vain to patch it. I rode the rest of the way into town, and had to wait in line at the grocery store for at least 15 minutes at the only register open and only waiting on one person to pay. I was really impressed by the huge courthouse in the middle of town, something I haven't seen a lot of in a long while. I took a bike path that led me after a few miles directly to the campground which is actually pretty nice, quiet and less than half full.