I've been doing this for decades, but cell phones changed everything. Its nutz out there on the roads.
But I never really owned a road bike before gravel. I borrowed road bikes, and road velodrome, played with a steel roadie, but could not find a bike I liked. Too stiff, to limited in where I could ride them, not enough fun. Gravel/CX bikes changed all that. It can be as much fun as mountain biking, without the limitations a 23c equipped bike inherently has. Its my N-1 bike!