A stroll of the dice; `Lost Vegas' labyrinth opens in Sterling.

Byline: Pamela H. Sacks

Larry Davis acknowledges that getting lost in a maze might be considered an odd form of entertainment.

There's something irresistible about it, though, according to Davis, an owner of Davis' Farmland. This is the 10th year that Davis and his staff have turned an 8-acre cornfield into a maze of amazing complexity.

Each year the theme is different.

This year's "Fabulous Lost Vegas Maze," which opens to the public today, is the most challenging yet. It has three miles of pathways, eight bridges - including a double-decker overpass - and seven levels of difficulty, all within an overall design depicting a pair of dice.

This sort of dizzying experience is known as "extreme mazing."

"It's very cool," Davis said. "In Europe, mazes are part of the culture. In the U.S., we're not familiar with mazes, so it seems bizarre. On its own, it has that little bit of fear factor. You go into the maze to get lost."

At the first level of difficulty, a visitor just tries to survive and get over the victory bridge, Davis said. Along the way, there are all sorts of interactive activities and games. An ambitious visitor can try to make it over all eight bridges. Families and groups of friends often take on the challenge as a team.

The path out of entrapment is counter-intuitive, Davis revealed.

Which is probably why 90 percent of visitors cannot find their way out of a Davis Mega Maze on their own. Staff members are posted at strategic points to offer guidance, cheerfully pointing the way to one area or another. But visitors often don't trust them, Davis said with a chuckle, because they urge heading in the opposite direction than would seem logical.

Adrian Fisher, a world-renowned master of the maze art form who lives in Dorset, England, has designed all the Davis Mega Mazes. Davis and his crew come up with a theme and Fisher goes to work. What makes Fisher a marvel is that he can create an image, all while designing a series of convoluted networks. Within the dice design, there are six individual puzzles.

"Lost Vegas" is all the more mind-boggling because its configuration can be changed daily by altering a series of gates: It is actually six mazes in one. "Beyond that, there are hundreds of ways of solving it," Davis said.

Creating and constructing the maze is a Herculean task, taking nearly 14,000 hours of labor. Yet it has a shelf life of barely three months. It is open seven days a week through Labor Day and then on weekends and Monday holidays until Nov. 12.

In fact, Davis said, visitors should always call before heading to the maze to find out if it's open because it is highly susceptible to weather damage. One year, the maze was open only half the available days.

"When we did the first one, we just thought it was such an awesome idea," Davis said. "The thing that has kept us doing it is that it's new every year, so that keeps it fresh."

Contact Pamela Sacks at [e-mail]

"Fabulous Lost Vegas Maze"

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., today-Nov. 12. Open 7 days a week until Labor Day; then weekends and Monday holidays, weather and conditions permitting. Always call ahead, [phone].

Where: Davis Mega Maze, 145 Redstone Hill Road, Sterling

How much: adults, $14.95; children 5-12 years of age, $12.95; children under 5, free.

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR

CUTLINE: (PHOTO 1) The "Fabulous Lost Vegas Maze" has three miles of pathways within a design depicting a pair of dice. (PHOTO 2) Larry Davis, an owner of Davis' Farmland and Mega Maze, left, and Dan Sullivan, the leader of his cutting crew, get their first bird's-eye view of their latest maze.