One of the problems with our current information stream is that it is incomplete and inaccurate but gives the illusion of being both complete and accurate. I have had fantastic days riding on roads that simply aren't shown on any on-line maps or that are shown as dead-ends on those maps. If I had relied on on-line sources instead of intuition, observation and deduction (if there are pick-up tracks, the road has to go somewhere, and in some settings that somewhere almost has to be "through"), I wouldn't have ventured off the beaten track. Alas, this likely means that us old-timers will be a dying breed and those charming dirt roads will be less and less ridden as time goes on as those who replace us rely exclusively on electronic maps.

That said, I did happen upon a small group of twenty-something-year-old riders a couple of years back while on my way home. They had gotten lost on their four-day outing, but were riding with just an orally given description of the route they wanted to take. I got them back onto a course that took them to their desired ending place for the night. They ended up with a trip of almost the exact same distance, just a different fork of one of the rivers. I also gave them my "map" of the area, which was actually just a printed photograph of a large BLM sign that had a partial road map of the area which I happened to have in my bag. Trips like they were on don't make for bucket list rides, but they are the sort I have always loved.