The tour starting point was the Corner Cafe’ and Bakery at McBean Pkwy and Valencia Blvd. As the participants arrived in the parking lot a lot of visiting and car ogling took place. Club member Phil Caliva was in his Alfa and intended to go on to the French/Italian Car Show at Woodley Park after lunch. The Morgan Club had some interesting cars on hand: a couple of early Plus 4’s with right-hand drive, a Morgan 8, and some more recent Plus 4’s.
After a quick briefing from Dennis Ortiz of the Morgan Club we were off going north on the I-5 to Hwy 126. A quick transition and we were heading west to Piru and up into the mountains to the entrance to Lake Piru. A great Healey road and very empty at that time of morning, so some interesting slaloming and corner cutting. Next stop on the tour was the Bennett Honey Farm for a “sweet” break. The sales store had more types of honey than you can imagine and the tasting area got a real workout. Then we were off to Fillmore, driving through the Old Downtown, which could have been a movie set, and ending up at the Giessinger Winery and the adjacent Fillmore Western Railway Museum. After a quick stop the tour continued to Santa Paula and the California Oil Museum. Most of us skipped the Oil Museum as time was getting on and drove on to the Mupu Pub and Grill in downtown. A very interesting establishment with lots of Hollywood memorabilia and red leather booths rescued from Chasen’s when it closed. The food was delicious and I had one of the best French Dips ever!
Our day ended as we broke into smaller groups and headed for home. A special thanks to Dennis Ortiz and the Morgan Club for inviting us on a great drive on the back roads of the Santa Clarita Valley.