Stairway to Heaven Lane

This photo was taken on the gravel road east of Steens Mountain in Harney County. Our family spends a weekend camping near there, every summer. A 1997 issue of National Geographic said no spot in the US is more remote based upon its distance from any Interstate highway. When we first started going, when the children were tiny, none of the roads past Burns had any signs posted, and U2’s “Where the streets have no name” became one of our theme songs for the annual expedition. Hearing it always transports me to days of 100 degree heat, rattlesnakes circling the campsite, billions of stars in the desert sky, and pure joy at being able to spend time in God’s country with my family… in a place where the streets have no name.

Then two or three years ago, up sprung this sign. We all did a double take, and drove back to have another look. Steve took this photo of our older son, Luke, and I thought that if ever a road deserves to be called “Stairway to Heaven Lane”, the path up Steens Mountain would be it. Kinda sad it’s labeled as a Private Drive, but some say that’s the way it is.

The next year when we returned, the sign was gone. I’ve tried Googling it, and searching Harney County official meeting minutes, and I can’t find a reference to any government agency requiring its removal. But once again, the streets have no name.