Another near death by GPS story

[agesilaus]

LA Times

What the heck they thought they were doing out there is a mystery. 67 is that road into the park from Jacob Lake that is closed all winter. But they blindly followed the GPS down a dirt road, apparently in a plain car with a blizzard on the way. Some people really do their best to get the Darwin Award.

[pnichols]

We've taken our RV quite a bit off-highway rock hounding. Our Garmin just about always shows all the obscure roads out there. It's maps are pretty comprehensive.

However ... the Garmin doesn't always show which road is best or safest to use ... because we can't tell it precisely where we want to go as a destination! In these situations we just use it to give us the name of the roads we're on and the compass direction as we drive so that we can then use a Benchmark atlas book to maybe/hopefully tell us really where we are in relation to the big picture.

[mr__ed]

toedtoes wrote:

mr. ed wrote:
I don't know.My Garmin got me across the country from NC to AZ without a hitch snd has been invaluable in getting around Tucson since arriving. Only one time it told me a certain Walmart was on the left, when it was actually on the right. Other than that, it's been indispensable and is usually quite accurate in its directions.

I find them far more trustworthy on real roads. Once you go out where there are fire roads, etc., they are less trustworthy because the info on those fire roads, etc., isn't necessarily accurate in the mapping system and is subject to changes due to flooding, downed trees, fires, and closures, and so on.

Garmin put out a recent update. Hope you're keeping yours updated. Be informed the update may take a few hours to complete, depending on your Internet speed.:)

[2gypsies1]

fj12ryder wrote:
Many smaller roads and intersections won't fit on a larger scale road map, or atlas, just not enough space on the page.

If you're doing the western states and you'll be in one state for a few months or returning year after year, I'd highly recommend purchasing the Benchmark series of individual state atlases. They do show the smaller dirt tracks and they're very easy to read. They give the public campgrounds, national forests, BLM lands, etc. Many full-timers travel with these, especially those with 4x4s or those that like to boondock.

[westend]

teejaywhy wrote:

mr. ed wrote:
I don't know. My Garmin got me across the country from NC to AZ without a hitch and has been invaluable in getting around Tucson since arriving. Only one time it told me a certain Walmart was on the left, when it was actually on the right. Other than that, it's been indispensable and is usually quite accurate in its directions.

Pretty much what the Pennsylvania family subscribed to when they set out for the North Rim in December.

Don't think about it, just follow the turn-by-turn directions.

Does anyone else believe the media should have the responsibility to portray these folks as those who made questionable choices vs. the feel good story that is being presented?

Those stranded, rescued folks used their GPS to find a back road they thought would bypass the usual entrance into the North Rim. They had found the gate closed on the typical route into the park. Their decision to use that road with a car was their downfall, not the GPS system they were using.

Does the media make it a feel-good story? Sure, and I feel good they were all rescued and not turned into dumbsickles. Ii should be pointed out they made many bad decisions that night and a warning to others not to try it. Unfortunately, fools rush in...

[fj12ryder]

toedtoes wrote:
And zoomed out, you aren't getting a lot of detail on a 7 inch screen (or a 10 inch screen) versus a paper map.

That's not necessarily true, a paper map is WYSIWYG. You can zoom out with a GPS, find the area you want to check out and then zoom back in for better detail. Kind of a pain, but can be done. Many smaller roads and intersections won't fit on a larger scale road map, or atlas, just not enough space on the page.

All of which is a moot point if a person doesn't know how to use a map in the first place.

[teejaywhy]

mr. ed wrote:
I don't know. My Garmin got me across the country from NC to AZ without a hitch and has been invaluable in getting around Tucson since arriving. Only one time it told me a certain Walmart was on the left, when it was actually on the right. Other than that, it's been indispensable and is usually quite accurate in its directions.

Pretty much what the Pennsylvania family subscribed to when they set out for the North Rim in December.

Don't think about it, just follow the turn-by-turn directions.

Does anyone else believe the media should have the responsibility to portray these folks as those who made questionable choices vs. the feel good story that is being presented?

[toedtoes]

teejaywhy wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

OLYLEN wrote:
The problem is not GPS it's the people using it. One must use common sense. JUST AN EXAMPLE-- If I am driving between two cities on an I route and the GPS says turn onto a logging road maybe just maybe it might need to be questioned or I'm on a logging or improved dirt/gravel road and it keeps getting less drivable maybe I need to go back the way I came. Unless of course I trying to be trying to the wife, then it's OK LOL.

LEN

It's the dependence on the GPS. In your 2nd example, how do you find your way out if GPS keeps telling you "that way" and you never looked at a map beforehand to know whether you need to head northeast or southh?

With most GPS's if you zoom out you will see a larger scale map the further out you go. Essentially you have a variable scale map right in your hands.

But if you can't read a map...

And zoomed out, you aren't getting a lot of detail on a 7 inch screen (or a 10 inch screen) versus a paper map.

[teejaywhy]

fj12ryder wrote:

toedtoes wrote:

OLYLEN wrote:
The problem is not GPS it's the people using it. One must use common sense. JUST AN EXAMPLE-- If I am driving between two cities on an I route and the GPS says turn onto a logging road maybe just maybe it might need to be questioned or I'm on a logging or improved dirt/gravel road and it keeps getting less drivable maybe I need to go back the way I came. Unless of course I trying to be trying to the wife, then it's OK LOL.

LEN

It's the dependence on the GPS. In your 2nd example, how do you find your way out if GPS keeps telling you "that way" and you never looked at a map beforehand to know whether you need to head northeast or southh?

With most GPS's if you zoom out you will see a larger scale map the further out you go. Essentially you have a variable scale map right in your hands.

But if you can't read a map...

[vjstangelo]

That is desolate country, even in the summer. I just can't believe they attempted that trip with an impending storm.

FWIW, I always carry paper maps for each state through which I travel.

[BizmarksMom]

I've been benighted on some of those backroads in my Subaru. I usually end up helping others out with food and water from my hiking kit. I've only had one family turn their nose up at the freeze dried food pouch I handed them. That just meant more variety for the rest of us.

[agesilaus]

We found ourself on a similar road at Capitol Reef but on the south side not the north side. South Draw Trail, instead of a rock face on one side it has a several hundred foot drop on both sides. The trail is maybe a foot wider than our truck. No possible way to turn around. I advise everyone with the exception of serious rock crawlers to not try the South Draw trail. It did have a warning sign but it just said you need 4WD to use that road.

[pnichols]

Brian ... was that your Jeep on the cliff trail in the photo above? 😉

P.S. I once found myself on a cliff trail similar to that in my MGA sports car when young and invincible/stupid during my college days! (... using only a fold-up paper map, BTW)

[down_home]

mr. ed wrote:
I don't know. My Garmin got me across the country from NC to AZ without a hitch and has been invaluable in getting around Tucson since arriving. Only one time it told me a certain Walmart was on the left, when it was actually on the right. Other than that, it's been indispensable and is usually quite accurate in its directions.

I know the Walmart, you are talking about. Our Garmin did the same.
We now have a 7 in screen, Lawrence, I think. I think it did the same thing. Of course we know our way around Tucson well enough to get lost now.

[agesilaus]

If you stick to interstates the gps software will generally guide you flawlessly. It's when you get on smaller highways that the trouble starts. But as others have pointed out, their gps works perfectly. It just enabled them to make some flat out stupid decisions.

I used my Street Atlas software to zoom way down on that area and there is a web of unpaved road around US 67. I think that people these days greatly overestimate their knowledge when it comes to doing things like this. They didn't see a 8 foot sign at the turn off on the gravel road saying:

DANGER! You could die if you take this road in bad weather.

So they assumed they could deal with it.

At Capitol Reef there is a network of unpaved roads leading to very scenic areas that 99 percent of the public never see. And I've been amazed to see people out there in their Prius or other tiny paved road only vehicles. Sometimes 30 or 40 miles off the nearest paved roads. We have a Ford F350 4WD. But those idiots are out there when at anytime a rain storm could render the roads impassible for an extended period. They certainly aren't ready to spend a night out there waiting for the road to dry out.