No GPS?
Everyone uses GPS nowadays, right? It's clean and reliable, does a semi-decent job, it can predict traffic patterns and times of arrival. It's also stuffed with ads, which is a problem in itself. Dependent on signal and the whims of whoever programmed the damn thing. Also depends on a working phone, which is very easy to lose, or break, or get compromised.
The mountains are quick to lose cell signal, which can be critical for navigation and for radio control for Spotify users. The basic lesson here is to always download your music ahead of time or use auxilary controls, and to at least have some vague idea where you're going any why directions-wise. Don't depend on anything wireless when crossing the mountains, and realistically don't trust anything wireless anywhere else - storms and maintenance can still cause issues.
Phones are also quite prone to falling into puddles, parking lots, and off cliffs. Screen shatters are common, or just disappearing into the void. Batteries run dry. Numbers get compromised, and the entire inbox and interface fills with spam. Blech!
Consider acquiring a paper road atlas if at all possible, and keeping it stashed somewhere accessible. They're hard to find nowadays, and tend to be a bit big for the glove box, but can be quite useful if memory fails or misleads.
Getting Lost, and Found Again
It's not hard to get lost, especially if you're used to relying on GPS. Thankfully, it's not hard to get un-lost either. There are lots of helpful things on the road to get oriented.
Directions work just as well in a car as they do on foot with a compass. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Shadows appear strongest on the north side of the hill. Water flows downhill. This is not a survival guide.
Really, the most important thing for getting oriented is signs. They're easiest to find if you keep moving. There are lots of signs on the road; street signs, mile markers, county maintenance lines. The best ones have whole words. Every sign is there for a reason, and every sign is useful. Even if you have NO idea where you are, if you can find a street sign and make a call, "the corner of Daisy Lane and Pooble Street" is useful to someone with Internet access. Using signs and short-term memory, it will only take a few miles of wandering to identify what town, county, mile marker, or region you've ended up in.
Businesses can also be used as a landmark. Over a phone call, they're easy to identify. In person, if they're open, they may have wifi or supplies or be willing to help out a lost traveler. Don't leave your car if it's not safe to do so.
The more information, the better.
Home Again
Home is critical.
Know where home is. Know the ways to get there from anywhere else. Know what highways are nearby, and what their numbers are, and what exits to take to get home. Memorize this. Be able to do it in your sleep. Wherever you go, this is your way in and out to the wider world.
Be at least vaguely aware of the world around you. Know what county home is in, and what counties surround that one. Know what major cities are on the sign boards on the interstate, and which direction they are. From anywhere in the country, if you find any numbered interstate highway, you should be able to find your way home... eventually. It won't always be the most efficient, but that's what maps are for - honing the route for next time.