Does one really need to get off the bike. Seems like maybe a couple feet away from the nearest CrMo tube might be enough to get an accurate reading, right?

Lost happens to me all the time. I'll just roll out north and then take a right on a random road. I'm so unfamiliar with east county that if the random road I've chosen is a curvy one, I'll have little idea which way I'm going after a while. Especially on thick overcast days, when I get deep into the woods. On straight roads like this, it's fairly easy to keep track, however, even with no hint of shadows or other vague indication of the sun's location.

When I have a compass, I know if I head south I'll hit the river, well SR-14 actually...