Couple stranded 3 days after GPS leads them astray

A Nevada couple using their SUV's navigation system to guide them through the high desert of Eastern Oregon got stuck in snow on Christmas when the GPS unit sent them down a remote forest road.

There they remained until Sunday, when atmospheric conditions changed enough for their GPS-enabled cellphone to get a weak signal and relay coordinates to a dispatcher, Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger said.

"GPS almost did 'em in and GPS saved 'em," he said.

John Rhoads, 65, and Starry Bush-Rhoads, 67, then made it home safely to Reno. They were well-equipped for winter travel, carrying food, water and warm clothes, the sheriff said.

"Their statement was, being prepared saved their life," Evinger said.

The couple had followed their GPS south from Portland as it directed them on Highway 97 to Oregon Highway 31, which goes through Silver Lake and Lakeview before connecting with Highway 395 to Reno, Evinger said.

In Silver Lake, the unit told them to turn right on Forest Service Road 28, and they followed that and some spur roads nearly 35 miles before getting stuck in about 1 ½ feet of snow.

"For some reason, they finally got a weak signal after 2 ½ days," Evinger said.

A GPS-enabled phone can send its coordinates to 911; eventually one of the couple's phones did just that, the sheriff said.