Also, the lore that was told in my family was, that ticks dropped from trees in the forest. But you can get them also from gras, hedges, bushes. So not being in the wood is no protection against ticks.
I read an article that described their basic algorithm as climb to the top of whatever they are on, blade of grass, shrub branch, etc., and just hang out there waving their arms until something brushes by and they snag it, then climb again until they find a good spot.
In New England, I've had to get in the habit of immediately dropping the clothes in the wash, showering, and then diligently checking the whole body for tics after a run, mtn bike, or hike. And I still occasionally find one hours later. The good thing is that they don't really inject the disease until they've been attached and biting for 24 hours or so and are mostly engorged.
Definitely a hazard to be diligent about!
[edt: spelling]
Edit: I had no idea Lyme Disease was a risk here:
Running is probably an ideal speed for them to snag you (think how they'd be snagging deer, dogs, etc), and I've never found biking fast enough to not get them. It seems like they don't grab by any reflex, but just by hanging a few hooks out in the breeze to snag whatever comes by.
Another thing I found that I didn't expect -- I'd guessed that they'd be most active in hotter weather, making motion easier, etc., but it seems that the most active times are moderate temps, maybe 10-25C (50-77F), but we still need to watch out outside of that range. I've seen them all the way down to almost freezing and up in the 30C+/90F+ range.
On yourself even after taking a shower, or in your clothes that you threw into the wash?