This is a public service post but it relates to travel as well as for everyday driving, so I thought it a good subject for a post. It involves how using a GPS tracking device in strange environments can backfire sometimes - something I know well since many guests of ours driving to our hotel tend to be turned in the wrong direction because of the omission of a simple notation (S or So. for south). I usually tell guests to listen to MY directions instead of relying on a GPS - but what about when you cannot call someone?
Most of us are aware of the Oregon couple a few years ago that got lost WITHOUT a GPS device - now it appears more people are getting lost BECAUSE of the device. Recently, a Nevada couple got waylaid into the desert area using a GPS unit. The article I am referring to here concerns people getting lost in mountain terrain in winter simply because the GPS setting (for the shortest route?) turned them onto forest roads that were snowed in. They might be a great alternative in summer to shave time off your trip but not in winter.
Which leads to the point of the article. Don't leave your common sense in the trunk just because you have a fancy new gadget to try out. (In fact, I think all people should think twice about using GPS devices even when NOT in the mountains. I've seen too many instances where options showed up that outlined a shorter route but took you so off the beaten path that if you needed gas or a bathroom, you were out of luck.) Almost weekly we have overseas guests staying with us that swear by GPS devices. But they are in a foreign country and may not know details like we might know. Such as taking the shorter '"Old County Road" into Yosemite instead of the roundabout, S-curves main road. It is a great timesaver as far as mileage goes but is not meant for people towing trailers or medium to large RV's. Or cars with marginal brake pads! GPS units don't warn you about that.
So common sense and the old adage (When in doubt, ASK someone) come into play. You can't ASK a GPS unit "Where are we" once you get stranded!
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