I've done this so many times over the years. Especially where I have no bloody idea where we were specifically, but knew generally, and had the topography seared into my brain. Okay. Let's walk it.
It was pure curiosity the first time. Could I "walk" there by memory, without actually being there? Yes. Could follow the route, surprised by landmarks I didn't remember / wasn't lookin for until I saw them / verifying other landmarks. It became a very surreal process.
It's something I like doing, with few exceptions. I don't have photographs or scrapbooks or any kind of token or reminder from those days. At least, not many, and never at hand. I don't talk to people about those days. So, for a few minutes? They're real again.
@Whyteferret I can't look up bases. Can't. I wish they still blurred them out in public sat photos like they used to. So much sorrow. So much grief. So much ethos. That right there is one of the few exceptions. I only go looking up bases if I want to punish myself.
Every once in awhile I'll forget. And I'll be trying to remember if it's the getmo approach that has the crazy steep dive to meet the runway or Wazzit base with Whozit, FFS *where* was it that we used to... and I'll go pull out GE and, oh. Right. Fist to the gut. We don't do that.
