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The pioneer spirit is alive and well in Agua Dulce (Spanish for “sweet water”), an equestrian community in the Sierra Pelona Valley, 44 miles north of L.A. Settlers arrived in wagon trains in the 1880s, setting up homesteads and mining for silver and gold. The first schoolhouse, built in 1914, was a 16-by-16 board-and-batten structure; it became a church in 1949 and is still in use today. Residents honor their rustic past. In 1985, they curbed high-density development with a law stating that no single-family house could be built on less than two net acres of land. The result is bucolic: a one-block main drag set against rolling hills dotted with horse trails. Best of all, the Milky Way is visible at night.

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SHOP, DROP

‘When Harry Met Salad’

Sweetwater Farms stocks specialty items under its own label, including roasted garlic and peppercorn ketchup. Tongue-in-cheek phrases--”Soy to the World,” “Silence of the Yams”--adorn the walls, and coffee is sold under a sign that says “Bean Me Up Scotty.” 33301 Agua Dulce Canyon Road, (661) 268-0700 . . . At Bullwinkel’s Gifts & Antiques wind chimes tinkle above thick, carved wooden benches that rest beside bucking bronco tire swings. The whole place smells of spice-scented candles and fresh soap. 33302 Agua Dulce Canyon Road, (661) 268-1535.

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50:

Estimated percentage of Agua Dulce residents who own horses

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ONE THING TO DO

Sweet Water Into Wine

Get vintage at Agua Dulce Vineyards, which co-owner Don MacAdam calls the only “vine-to-wine vineyard in unincorporated L.A. County.” Don and his wife Cathy planted their first crop in 1999, after soil samples revealed that their 90 acres were perfect for wine grapes. In fact, at an altitude of about 3,000 feet, with few days over 100 degrees in temperature and significant cooling at night, Agua Dulce is ideal grape-growing country. The six wines the vineyard has produced in the last three years have won 37 medals. The MacAdams’ winery is open daily for tastings and tours. Sample five wines for $7 and bring a picnic to enjoy by the 4H exhibit, which features black goats, peacocks and quail. 9640 Sierra Highway, (888) 401-9463.

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EAT, DRINK

Home-Style Francophile

Every morning around 7, locals gather for coffee at Sweetwater Cafe. “We call them the ‘Grumpies,’” says manager Debbie Felan. Later in the day, a popular menu item is the California Prime Rib Dip, smothered in Jack cheese and chiles. The bar revs up at night. 33308 Agua Dulce Canyon Road, (661) 268-1213

. . . Juan Alonso emigrated from France in the ‘70s and worked as a chef at La Serre in Studio City before opening Le Chene. The French restaurant, located in a 1914 stone house, stocks 1,000 different wine labels and 35,000 bottles in the celler. 12625 Sierra Highway, (661) 251-4315.

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Filmed on Location: Vasquez Rocks, the result of 25 million years of earthquake activity, has starred in dozens of films, including 1935’s “Werewolf of London” and 1938’s “Rose of the Rio Grande.” In 1986, the sandstone slabs served as the Vulcan planet in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” The rocks’ own history could be a movie: They were named for bandit Tiburcio Vasquez, who used them as a hideout in the 1880s.