Lesson#1: Grass has the same traction as ice.
Lesson#2: Gravel looks solid but the kickstand will still sink in it.
Lesson#3: Never, ever assume drivers see you, though their mirrors and windows may lead you to think otherwise. I got hit head on by a driver in a truck who had a perfect view of me in broad daylight on a perfectly sunny day. Her first words? "Where did you come from?" She first saw me as I was bouncing off her hood...