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GPS 'Directions' Strand Couple in Snow for Three Days

by Caleb Johnson on December 29, 2009 at 07:29 AM

A GPS device can be a wonderful tool when traveling, and even help save lives. Just as easy, it can foul up a trip and make you want to bash it with a rock. For a Reno, Nevada couple, their GPS pulled double-duty and did both.

While traveling through Eastern Oregon last week, John Rhoads and Starry Bush-Rhoads became lost after a cell phone equipped with a GPS told them to turn off the highway and onto a forest service road. According to USA Today, the couple trekked on for about 35-miles before becoming stuck in more than a foot of snow. For three days, the couple huddled inside their Toyota Sequoia, which was thankfully stocked with food, water, and warm clothes. On Sunday, the phone gained a weak signal, but it was just enough, according to Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger. The couple sent their location to authorities who came and pulled them out. Authorities tracked their location, and came and pulled them out.

"GPS almost did 'em in and GPS saved 'em," Evinger told USA Today. "It will give you options to pick the shortest route. You certainly get the shortest route. But it may not be a safe route."

Or a smart route. We've never driven from Oregon to Reno, but we feel confident that a forest service road won't get you there from Point A to Point B. [From: USA Today]

Tags: cellphone, funny, gps, gpstracking, lost, rescue, stranded, top, travel

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