It is a long and lonely walk into the wilderness of the Mojave Desert to get to this isolated petroglyph site. Hidden in the Cinder Cone Lava Beds of California's Mojave Preserve, the Freightwagon site contains a remarkable concentration of rock art. Most of the few hundred petroglyphs here are of abstract design, but a few are of figures and war shields. In a couple of places, you can see what appears to be a crying face and masks. You have to look carefully to find them.
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Cliffs of Crosses Petroglyphs
Most East Mojave rock art sites have a mix of abstract designs, the occasional bighorn sheep, maybe a few human figures. This canyon has those too, but what sets it apart is the number of enclosed crosses pecked into the basalt cliffs. I didn't name it, but whoever
Grass Canyon Petroglyphs
Native Americans passed through Grass Canyon thousands of years ago and left their marks on the basalt. I am not sure why they picked these rocks, though. There are plenty of other surfaces around that don't have anything on them. But this spot where a basalt butte meets
Pinyon Pine and Goldstar Mine Cabins
On the eastern slope of the rugged Old Woman Mountains are the remains of two weather-beaten cabins. Unlike the area's earlier gold and silver prospects, these mines targeted barite, a mineral primarily used in oil drilling. Barite (or Baryte) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate, generally white