[amom]

Oregon Highway 42 is an Oregon state highway which runs between U.S. Route 101 on the Oregon Coast, near Coos Bay, and Green, a few miles south of Roseburg on Interstate 5. It is known as the Coos Bay-Roseburg Highway. At Coquille, there is a split in the route, as Oregon Highway 42S heads southwest toward Bandon. The largest towns on the route are Winston, Coquille, Myrtle Point, and Green (which is actually unincorporated). Highway 42 serves as the southernmost link between the Oregon Coast and the Interstate 5 corridor.http://www.answers.com/topic/oregon-state-route-42

[vikingchick]

Yes, they might have taken 42 but notice how when you look at the map, it curves down and away from Gold Beach in a "u" shape. One might be tempted to take a 'straighter' route through the towns I mentioned even if locals know that it's a more dangerous road.

If this family didn't know the terrain, they might, like me - an outsider who doesn't know Oregon - look at a map and say, hey, let's take these smaller roads. It's a shorter route and it's getting late.

Of course, the route I mentioned might be completely closed. I don't know. Just throwing something out there for consideration.

There are towns and streets around here (Bay Area) that I would avoid (for various reasons: traffic, dangerousness - either terrain or human) just from living here that a person living elsewhere would choose just from looking at a map.

I'm assuming they didn't know the terrain, which may not be true.

http://fortetwo.net/OR.html