C150 PLT ON SOLO XCOUNTRY EXPERIENCED POS CONFUSION.

Narrative

I WAS ON THE LAST LEG OF MY SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT; HEADING BACK TO GARDNER MUNI (K34). I EXPERIENCED GYROSCOPE DRIFT AND FLEW TO TOPEKA; KS. THE REASON WHY I'M FLYING THIS RPT IS BECAUSE I WAS CIRCLING FORBES FIELD IN TOPEKA; KS; WITHOUT ESTABLISHING COM WITH THE TWR. MY CRUISING ALT TO GARDNER MUNI (K34) WAS 3500 FT MSL. I SAW A ROTATING BEACON FROM THE DISTANCE AND THOUGHT IT WAS NEW CENTURY (IXD). I THEN SEARCHED TO THE SW OF NEW CENTURY (IXD) FOR GARDNER MUNI (K34). I DID NOT SEE THE ROTATING BEACON FOR GARDNER MUNI (K34). I CONTINUED TO FLY TOWARD THE ROTATING BEACON AND ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT NEW CENTURY (IXD) TWR. THE TWR DID NOT RESPOND. I WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT NEW CENTURY (IXD) TWR ONE MORE TIME; THERE WAS NOT A RESPONSE. I CONTINUED TO FLY TOWARD THE ROTATING BEACON AND WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE ARPT; I WAS AT 3500 FT MSL. I STARTED CIRCLING THE ARPT AND PROCEEDED TO CLB TO 4000 FT MSL. STILL CIRCLING THE ARPT; I TRIED TO TUNE IN OJC NAV. THE SIGNAL WAS VERY WEAK. I THEN PROCEEDED TO TUNE IN TOP NAV AND THE SIGNAL WAS VERY STRONG. MY INTUITION WAS THAT I WAS FLYING OVER FORBES FIELD. I LOOKED AT THE MAP AND VERIFIED THAT I WAS CIRCLING FORBES FIELD AND I COULD ALSO SEE BILLIARDS ARPT IN THE DISTANCE. I PROCEEDED TO FLY TO THE E FROM TOPEKA; KS; WHILE HAVING THE OJC NAV TUNED IN WHICH WAS A VERY WEAK SIGNAL; I CONTACTED ZKC FOR VFR FLT FOLLOWING TO GARDNER MUNI (K34). ONCE CTR HAD RADAR CONTACT; I LOOKED AT THE FUEL GAUGES; BOTH L AND R TANKS WERE RIGHT ABOVE EMPTY. I CONTACTED CTR AND THEY PROVIDED ME A VECTOR BACK TO TOPEKA FORBES FIELD FOR REFUELING. I LANDED AT FORBES FIELD AND CONTACTED FORBES FIELD TWR. THE CTLR DIRECTED ME TO THE TERMINAL FOR REFUELING AND INDICATED THAT ARPT OFFICIALS WILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR ME. THE ARPT OFFICIALS ASKED ME WHY I WAS CIRCLING THE ARPT AND EXPLAINED TO THEM THE SIT. IN ABOUT 15 MINS; I WAS BACK HEADING E TO GARDNER MUNI (K34). LESSONS LEARNED: 1) WHEN I DIDN'T HEAR A RESPONSE FROM NEW CENTURY TWR; I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT MY FLT PLAN TO DETERMINE MY LAST KNOWN LOCATION AND IDENTED A POSSIBLE OFF COURSE VARIANCE LOCATION FROM THE MAP. 2) I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED FORBES FIELD TWR WHEN I WAS CIRCLING THE ARPT; REGARDLESS OF ALT. 3) HOW TO CONTACT AND COMMUNICATE WITH CTR TO REQUEST A VFR FLT FOLLOWING. 4) CHK THE MAGNETIC COMPASS AND COMPARE TO THE GYROSCOPE EVERY 10-15 MINS FOR GYROSCOPE DRIFT.