LEBANON, Ore. -- A family was stranded for more than 24 hours on a remote forest road after following GPS directions to a Christmas dinner in Maupin.

Jeramie Griffin, his fiancee, Megan Garrison, and their infant daughter, Lexi, set out from their Lebanon apartment Christmas Day with directions from a GPS unit.

"And we picked the shortest distance and set out of our driveway," Griffin said.

As weather conditions worsened and snow accumulated, the family turned down an isolated forest road.

"We came around a corner and slid into a rut and couldn't get out of it," Griffin said.

The couple said they were stuck in their Dodge Durango about 15 miles from the highway.

Griffin set out to find help or a cell phone signal but was unsuccessful.

"I really thought we were done," Garrison said. "I was like, 'Nobody's going to find us on this road.'"

Meanwhile, family members began to get anxious.

Jesse Wiens, a cousin, headed out to look for the missing family and unknowingly used the same GPS model to map the route the family would have likely taken.

And it worked.

"She's like, 'Get out of the car, there's headlights!' I got out of the car, jumped on the hood and started waving my arms," Griffin said.

The couple said they were nearly out of gas when help arrived.

It was a holiday trip the family said they'll never forget.

"It was a bittersweet Christmas, that's for sure. It was the worst Christmas and the best Christmas," Garrison said.

GPS Directions Strand Family On Remote Road