Kirk
Well-known member
How people get in trouble blamed on their GPS
- Thread starter Kirk
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UTTransplant
Well-known member
Sadly people do this every year, and some die every year.
Mountain high
Guest
I-80 east/west between Rawlins and Laramie near Elk Mountain is closed often due to over 50 MPH winds for high profile light trailers/vehicles and for winter conditions. When I-80 is closed, so is the alternate Highway 30 through Medicine Bow. There's No Alternate routes in Wyoming even though Google Maps will show alternate routes through the worst condition unmaintained roads around Elk Mountain.
Here's our 13 foot high Arctic Fox toy hauler in the far background towed behind a Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 on February 22, 2022 near Sinclair, Wyoming waiting out the extreme high winds. It was entirely heavily loaded with a house move from Portland, OR to Laramie, Wyoming. The wind gusts had died down. I took it slow though the warnings were still on. We waited overnight.
Here's our 13 foot high Arctic Fox toy hauler in the far background towed behind a Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 on February 22, 2022 near Sinclair, Wyoming waiting out the extreme high winds. It was entirely heavily loaded with a house move from Portland, OR to Laramie, Wyoming. The wind gusts had died down. I took it slow though the warnings were still on. We waited overnight.
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Larry N.
Well-known member
Yes, unfortunately too many people don't seem to understand that there are relatively few (sometimes NO) alternate routes in the mountain west (and much of the high plains as well), and those that exist are usually affected by whatever affected the main route -- especially true in winter.
Lou Schneider
Site Team
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- 13,255
Hmmm, the highway dept. can't keep up with the wind or snow on the main highway. Maybe they're doing a better job on that secondary or forest service road nobody uses? Makes sense to me.
Any time you think you've made something foolproof, they just come up with a higher grade fool.
Any time you think you've made something foolproof, they just come up with a higher grade fool.
Skookum
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- Dec 19, 2018
- Posts
- 3,633
Ugh....yep, it's unfortunate. Happens on Snoqualmie Pass / I-90 all the time. There's about 3 different spots where you can parallel the freeway on unmaintained forest service roads for a mile or two and then get back on, and GPS will route people that way. The city people, they think, "How cool! A snowy bypass adventure! My little front-drive toaster with bald tires can totally do this!" ...Noooope.
RRR
Well-known member
My little front-drive toaster...
LarsMac
Well-known member
You can only trust a GPS app so far.
And that GPS has no idea what the weather is doing.
And that GPS has no idea what the weather is doing.
True dat. If I get adventurous in route planning I look at every questionable mile on Google map aerials to be sure at least of pavement and often take a peak on street view, but that doesn't take weather into account. On the other hand due to <ahem> fuel costs, we don't range into snow or landslide country from our home base in Panhandle Florida.
DonTom
Well-known member
It's not just GPSes that causes problems.
What gets to me is when Hwy80 is closed over Donner Summit because of very deep snow with many spinouts. CalTrans road conditions then says "drivers are advised to take an alternate route".
One problem with that. There is NO alternate route when 80 is closed because of snow. If you cannot turn around, you must wait it out. Trying to find an alternate route then is not even reasonable. Don't even look for such.
-Don- Auburn, CA
What gets to me is when Hwy80 is closed over Donner Summit because of very deep snow with many spinouts. CalTrans road conditions then says "drivers are advised to take an alternate route".
One problem with that. There is NO alternate route when 80 is closed because of snow. If you cannot turn around, you must wait it out. Trying to find an alternate route then is not even reasonable. Don't even look for such.
-Don- Auburn, CA
Isaac-1
Well-known member
As I see it the GPS likely does not know the weather conditions or reason you are seeking an alternative route, when I was westbound driving into Laramie, WY in August of 2017, a tanker truck less than a mile behind me overturned in the median closing the pass for the next several hours. This might be one case where taking an alternate route like hwy 210 makes sense.
DonTom
Well-known member
You were lucky. I have had that happen in front of me several times over the years.
It could know about the truck if the GPS has the traffic receiver, and it can show the better route. It's helped me a couple of times, but I normally do not bother with the traffic receiver. But I can say it can be helpful at times.
But Tom & I were on CA Hwy 37 (years ago) when two 18-wheel trucks hit head-on. Both truck drivers killed. We were behind them by a quarter mile or so. For many hours. Hwy 37 is around 100 miles southwest of here. No way to get out of that mess for hours. All engines off for hours. Nothing could help in that case.
-Don- Auburn, CA
Deb&RickTX
Well-known member
My rule has always been to never fully believe GPS. Even Google Maps can be wrong. And always allow for weather and other traffic issues (like never try to go by a sports facility right after a major event).
Old_Crow
Well-known member
Seems to me that when Donner is closed, the alternate route is 58 though Bakersfield.
Mountain high
Guest
If my GPS shows Tioga and/or Sonora Pass are open, then those are the alternate routes when I-80 and US 50 are closed. LOL!Seems to me that when Donner is closed, the alternate route is 58 though Bakersfield.
Old_Crow
Well-known member
Tioga and Sonora close way before Donner and once they close, they're done for the season. At least they plow Donner.
I manage campgrounds south of Mammoth Lakes and 2 of my kids live and work in Yosemite. We deal with pass closings every year. In fact, I missed Thanksgiving at Yosemite this year because they closed Tioga early in November.
DutchmenSport
Well-known member
Many years ago we were camped at Harmony State Park, which is right in the very, very South East corner of Indiana, nestled between the Wabash and Ohio River.
While there, we experienced a massive rain storm that caused all the water ways to rise (a lot). We drove around and witnessed some of the flooding, but where we were, everything was good.
When we got ready to return home (Central Indiana, North of Indianapolis), I set my Tom Tom to "home" and headed out.
Once on the main road, Tom Tom said turn right. It didn't make much sense. Why would I want to turn right (East) when the main road continued North. But I followed anyway.
It was a country road. OK, keep following. We got down that road about 4 miles and then the road curved and went down hill. I slammed on the brakes and stopped dead in the road.
Across the road at the bottom of the hill, the entire road was flooded over. I asked my wife, "Do you think we can make it through that high water to the other side?"
She paused for a moment and then said, "Do you see what I see?" I said, "No. What?" and said, "Look carefully. Do you see the very tops of those fence posts just barely sticking out of the water?"
Ugg! I had to back-up a 31 foot travel trailer almost half a mile before I could find a place to back into and turn around.
It was a VERY hard lesson learned ... NEVER trust GPS exclusively! Ever since then, I not only use my Tom Tom, but Google Maps, and a paper map, and study the route out in advance, write it down. GPS systems by themselves are pretty good. But they have severe limitations. It's always good to have more than one round of ammunition ready when facing a heard of wild buffalo charging at you! Never depend exclusively on GPS! Never.
While there, we experienced a massive rain storm that caused all the water ways to rise (a lot). We drove around and witnessed some of the flooding, but where we were, everything was good.
When we got ready to return home (Central Indiana, North of Indianapolis), I set my Tom Tom to "home" and headed out.
Once on the main road, Tom Tom said turn right. It didn't make much sense. Why would I want to turn right (East) when the main road continued North. But I followed anyway.
It was a country road. OK, keep following. We got down that road about 4 miles and then the road curved and went down hill. I slammed on the brakes and stopped dead in the road.
Across the road at the bottom of the hill, the entire road was flooded over. I asked my wife, "Do you think we can make it through that high water to the other side?"
She paused for a moment and then said, "Do you see what I see?" I said, "No. What?" and said, "Look carefully. Do you see the very tops of those fence posts just barely sticking out of the water?"
Ugg! I had to back-up a 31 foot travel trailer almost half a mile before I could find a place to back into and turn around.
It was a VERY hard lesson learned ... NEVER trust GPS exclusively! Ever since then, I not only use my Tom Tom, but Google Maps, and a paper map, and study the route out in advance, write it down. GPS systems by themselves are pretty good. But they have severe limitations. It's always good to have more than one round of ammunition ready when facing a heard of wild buffalo charging at you! Never depend exclusively on GPS! Never.
DonTom
Well-known member
If you can get down there from HWY 395 when west bound. It could also be closed. Perhaps if east bound that will work. Can then take I-5 or 99 to get to Bakersfield.Seems to me that when Donner is closed, the alternate route is 58 though Bakersfield.
If I want to go back to Reno from here, that will be a little over 700 miles out of the way.
I think I will be better off to wait for the road to reopen.
-Don- Auburn, CA
OP
OP
Kirk
Well-known member
When we lived in Cheyenne my service area was from Sidney NE to Green River WY and north through Lander, Thermopolis, Casper, Lusk to Valentine NE. There was one time that I was on a service call with the UPRR in Hanna WY when they closed both I80 and US30, leaving me stranded in Hanna for 2 nights!
Mountain high
Guest
Valentine has the Cowboy Trail Bridge. Fun to walk across without the trains. I've been through all the other towns except Hanna of which it's off the highway.
Green River has a very low railroad underpass of which my son's GPS had guided our toy hauler right towards on the way to a Maverick gas/diesel station. It's on West 2nd Street under the UP railroad. 13 feet 3 inches clearance. We stopped. From a quick scan of the toy hauler manufacturer specs we determined that it was 13 feet 4 inches high. Had to backup just a little. I knew about the bridge beforehand having taken our boat to Flaming Gorge many times so I knew the alternate route to the Maverick.
Bike the Cowboy Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
Bike or walk the Cowboy Trail, a rails-to-trails conversion that passes through Valentine, NE, and over the Niobrara National Scenic River via a historic railroad bridge.
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