Posted on 12/29/2016 9:09:57 AM PST by Lurkinanloomin
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A New Jersey woman and her 5-year-old great-granddaughter have been found alive in secluded woods in rural Virginia, apparently stranded there for days after disappearing on a holiday road trip, authorities said.
GPS is a GREAT tool. But if I was driving for more than 10 minutes on a deserted road I would pull the map out of the back seat on a long trip.
Especially a place I was unfamiliar with.
It also doesn’t have the capability to tell you to turn around if you miss an entrance to a highway. Even if it’s 10 yards back!! It might take you a half hour out of your way to find another entrance.
And certainly doesn’t always give the fastest route.
Surveillance video from the gas station shows Barbara Briley walking inside about 5:40 p.m. Saturday. She exits and re-enters before eventually pulling away just after 6 p.m., authorities said.
Gas station clerk Joanna Strange told local media that Briley came inside to say she was lost and she then helped the woman with her GPS before Briley went on her way.
Lt. Travis Nutter of the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, which released the video, said nothing in the footage indicated any kind of suspicious activity at the gas station.
Police said the evidence points to Briley having pulled onto a dirt road, which she then followed a short distance into the woods in Dinwiddie County. There she drove over a small tree and got stuck in a remote area of the property when she tried to back up, according to police.
My friend calls his GPS Jezebel as, if not careful, it will lead him astray.
Well happy that they were found, and I hope the grandmother’s serious condition improves soon.
Ha! That sounds like me in NJ. Ever try to “turnaround” in NJ? I missed my exit, turned onto a state highway, then a county road, then a smaller road, then a driveway marked “no turnarounds”. GPS was worthless.
I was gonna mention NJ!! lol.
Passed the Garden State north entrance by 20 yards. Too lazy to turn around and ended up taking a 20 minute detour! :)
Maps and a compass do not fail. The kids still chuckle at my stack of maps carried in the glove box.
And I also always have a Sat phone - since there are areas with no or extremely weak cell coverage.
Irony alert,from the article:
Family members have said Barbara Briley was a former driver for New Jersey Transit and had made the long trip numerous times.
It was a win for me. My DW said to exit the Turnpike to find a fast food joint. I said no way because we would be an hour getting back to the turnpike. My plan was to drive through NJ with no stops.
I find Pittsburg just as baffling. Again GPS not only worthless but counter productive.
What exactly did she purchase at that store?
Good Grief. Great grandmother could mean different ages among different groups.
For blacks, she would be about 40 :)
Didn’t open article so don’t know what her age was etc.
I open maybe 5 articles a day. So I have to be selective :)
Article doesn’t say.
The clerk says she was lost and she helped her figure out her GPS. Ruther Glen is 30 miles north of Richmond, Dinwiddie where they were found is about 20 miles south of Richmond.
I always check a map before I leave. I like to have some idea of where I’m going.
The grandmother was found unconscious, now she’s in serious condition in a hospital. Sounds like she may have had a stroke.
71
Getting lost easily can be an early sign of dementia. There was a tragic case of an elderly local couple planning on riding up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for lunch after church getting lost in a surprise snowstorm and ending up dying, they were well into VA from their native northwest NC when they were finally found. How old is this great grandmother?
71
Not exactly elderly, but not too young for that to be a potential concern.
It was crazy, I stopped at a 7-11, where they assured me I was on the right road. Finally I just kept driving until I saw the vineyards.
It was worth the hassle...they've got great variety of wine, and you can get yourself a mixed case for around $100. If you served in the military, they also throw in the military discount, and my active service ended over 30 years ago.
We liked the place so much, that we make a stop during our trips to El Paso, where most of my in-laws still live.
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