Mission San Antonio de Padua is located on 80 pristine acres of what was once the Milpitas unit of the sprawling Hearst
Ranch and sits within the "Valley of the Oaks" on California's scenic Central Coast.
This HGA day-trip
begins with a drive north, car-pooing for those interested, which will take about two hours if leaving from Cambria. Please
plan to arrive at the Mission at 9:45 am. Starting at 10:00 am, experienced docent Joan Steele will lead a detailed
tour of the Mission and out-buildings. At noon, we will enjoy a typical Spanish mean prepared and provided at the Mission.
IMPORTANT: Your $15 per person additional charge for this program includes the costs for the tour and
lunch at the Mission. Because of advance reservations needed by the Mission for both tour and lunch, and the required
pre-payment to them, we are limiting this event to 30 people with paid reservations into the HGA by May 4th. We will
be carpooling so let us know if you would like to be a driver or a rider. There is plenty of parking on site for those
who wish to drive their own cars.
IMPORTANT 2: To enter the military base, you will be required to
show your vehicle registration and proof of vehicle insurance along with personal identification such as a driver's license
of EACH PERSON IN THE VEHICLE to the checkpoint guard.
There is also an economical self-serve gas station
on this base about a mile east of the Hacienda.
After lunch at the Mission (about 1:00 pm), we will travel less than a
mile's drive from the Mission to William Randolph Hearst's California Hacienda, built 1929-1931 (re: Librarian, Sandy Heinemann).
Architect Julia Morgan designed it as an elegant, uncluttered building with mission-style arches, creating rooms for
the ranch's cowboys and more spacious accommodations for Hearst and his guests. At the Hacienda, you can even spend the night in the same place where the famous millionaire and
his glamorous friends partied and slept in the 1920's and 1930's.
A docent will lead us on a tour of this historical
landmark starting at 1:30 pm. No charge. The bar may be open at the Hacienda to quench your thirst during this
event.
Note that this Hacienda is located on the Fort Hunter Liggett military reservation, the larget US Army
Reserve Command post spreading over 165,000 acres. This used to be part of the 250,000 acres owned by WRH. We
hope to see you for this exciting and educational day-trip!