Chris OCallaghan wrote:

I've found over the years that my critical decision point to stop
searching for lift is between 400 and 200 feet agl, depending on
conditions. This is not when I enter the pattern, but when I put the
gear down and focus ENTIRELY on landing safely. Typically, I'll be at
least half way through a modified downwind (still looking for lift).
This means that I am viewing the field from less than 400 feet above
and 400 feet displaced from my intended centerline.

Yep, this is what happened to me. On downwind got a sniff of a thermal.
Was VERY leery.

Always assess the field after you've landed. What didn't you see? What
did you see that wasn't really a problem? This review will serve your
assessment of the next field you find yourself falling into.

Or while climbing away. I've found roads really suck, because they
always seem to have fences and signs and wires. Dirt roads
in fields are a little better, because if I don't like it (POLE!),
I can go left or right and still land in the field.

On this one particular downwind, and then climb away, I was most surprised
by my misjudgement of the wind. A flag below showed I had
set up for a tailwind landing. The winds aloft over the
ridge I'd gotten into the lee of were SW, and a nearby
flag (which I noticed only climbing away) said Northerly.

Maybe the field had convergence too, eh? But I was very
concerned that I'd not found any wind cues on the approach,
although I'd looked hard...

I think figuring out wind direction visually is sometimes VERY
hard. With no lakes, no flags, no tilling, no smoke, no
leaves on the trees, and no cow butts, I've sometimes
been visually stumped...
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Mark Boyd
Avenal, California, USA