Similar situation in my locale. Madison is on a narrow isthmus between lakes, so the roads are not neatly laid out in a grid. And I just can't remember the geography for ****. Out of town, there are lots of winding roads due to rivers and hills, sometimes poorly marked. A couple weeks ago I took a wrong turn at roughly mile 35 with my daughter, roughly 90 degrees F in the shade. I wanted to be darn sure we knew where we were going, someone waiting for us at our destination. The cell phone came out. Upon arriving back home, there was my map, on the dinner table. Oops.

For longer rides, I usually print out a crude map that's good enough to recover from getting lost. I also find a compass to be helpful -- I consult it after every turn to confirm my bearings. It's a combination bell and compass that's typically found on kids bikes.