| The fourth tour on our California’s Mission Trail Tour Series, takes us to the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys where we’ll visit three unique and diverse sites. We begin at Mission San Fernando Rey De España – founded on September 8, 1797 and named for Saint Ferdinand III, King of Spain in the 1200s. A docent-guided tour of the mission will showcase a variety of rooms and the stunning architecture including the Convento, the largest free-standing adobe structure in California. Under construction for 13 years, the Convento served as the padres’ quarters and guest house and includes a chapel, kitchen, winery, storehouse, and residential rooms. Its famous colonnade has 19 Roman arches extending 243 feet. The Mission Museum features a pictorial history of the mission, pottery, trade and commerce items and an extensive collection of early mission baskets, and the church, school, convento and workshops have all been restored to their original purposes and are open for viewing. We continue north to the Aqua Dolce Winery, a family-owned and operated winery surrounded by 90 pristine acres in the Sierra Pelona Valley. This winery has gained national notoriety and recognition for their hand-crafted approach to making wine and is also L.A. County’s leading fine wine grower and producer. We’ll enjoy an included boxed lunch picnic followed by a guided tour and wine tasting surrounded by a beautiful landscape of Italian grapevines. This afternoon we’ll visit Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, a dramatic desert wonderland, with striking – almost mysterious – rock formations that point skyward at a 45-degree angle. You may have seen see them as you’ve driven towards the Antelope Valley on Highway 14, but certainly have seen them featured in many films, television shows and commercials including Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Blazing Saddles, The Ten Commandments and the Big Bang Theory. We’ll enjoy a short nature walk and time at leisure to explore the interpretive center and learn about the geology and history of the rocks which date back to prehistoric times. This tour involves moderate walking. |