Even with a cue sheet and color coded arrows on the road I still get lost

[JanT]

Wow! That was quite an adventure! It is scary when you get lost and you're by yourself, and the ride always ends up being longer. I've only done one organized ride, and the race directions were a full page, single spaced. Fortunately, I found a couple people I could keep up with, so was able to rely on their expertise. I eventually got separated from them (AKA dropped!) once we hit the hills, and I was glad that by that time, we were in familiar territory. Glad you found your way back to civilization, and still had a fun ride despite the scare.

[emily_in_nc]

Good going, mom2twins! It's a scary feeling to be lost like that (out of control, ya know), but sounds like you did just fine and ended up with more miles than you expected, and even the realization that you could have done more! Glad you made it back safe and sound!

Emily

[Trekhawk]

Well done - I can relate to the getting lost thing. I got some bike routes from the LBS and Im glad I drove them first because I got lost in my car yikes .

The next ride you do will seem like a piece of cake after that one.

[newrider]

Wow, mom2twins, a serious adventure! The stress of feeling lost really drains the energy (and confidence) right out of me (a directionally challenged person) -- you pulled off a successful ride in spite of it! Way to go!

[Nanci]

This kind of reminds me of when my daughter took off on her horse for a five minute ride with no saddle, no bridle, just a halter and lead rope. So she got lost, but when she met up with other riders who were going to a lake a couple hours away, she agreed to just go along with them, instead of saying, "Hey, I'm a lost kid, please take me back to the campground!" So off she went, and meanwhile, when she didn't reappear, the whole campground was called out to search for her on horseback and motorcycle, and there was talk of calling in helicopters, but then, late in the afternoon, a guy on a motorcycle saw her, and asked if she was the lost kid, and she had to think for a minute...

Sounds like quite an adventure you had!

Nanci

[Trekhawk]

[QUOTE=Nanci]This kind of reminds me of when my daughter took off on her horse for a five minute ride with no saddle, no bridle, just a halter and lead rope. So she got lost, but when she met up with other riders who were going to a lake a couple hours away, she agreed to just go along with them, instead of saying, "Hey, I'm a lost kid, please take me back to the campground!"

Wow Nanci that must have given you a heart attack.
You will have to remind her of that story when she is a parent.

[Nanci]

Fortunately, I was unaware of what happened until it was over. I had gone off scuba diving with the friends that Kelly had been riding her horse to show off for, leaving her with my (ex) husband and my girlfriend Sue. (We were camping at a really cool state forest in MN with both great horse trails and great diving in abandoned iron mines.) When I got back late in the afternoon, Sue says "You wouldn't believe the day we've had..." I was _quite_ happy to have missed it. I would have been frantic.

Nanci

[DirtDiva]

You weren't lost! You were exploring an unfamiliar area! Trust me. I do a lot of that in London - it's cheating to pull out the A-Z!