Texas Road Trip 2025 – Day Twelve.

Alpine. 19th October 2025.

With a long drive planned for tomorrow we decided that we would stay close to home today. The first stop was the farmers market held at the tourist information office. This was a mixture of stalls selling plants, fruit and vegetables grown locally together with people selling home made foods and pickles.

The people were all very friendly and spent time talking about their wares even though we didn’t buy much. We did succumb to some fried cherry pies , yes you read that correctly, FRIED. We ate them later for lunch and they were delicious.

Another of the stands was promoting the music programme at the nearby Sul Ross university, and we had a long conversation with some of the students relating the fact that Poppy is studying music in the U.K.

Talking of music, throughout the time we were at the market we were entertained by two local musicians playing country music. A very entertaining morning.

While at the tourist office earlier in the week we picked up a leaflet describing a historical walking tour around the town and so we decided to give this a go before it got too warm.

The oldest house on the route was built in the 1890s but with the majority in the early 1900s not too old by U.K. standards.

An interesting walk never the less and we had a lovely conversation with a lady living in one of the properties. She was born in Russia but had lived in the area for over twenty years and had a beautiful garden that wouldn’t have looked out of place at home.

Walking back through the town we passed several more murals………..

including one commemorating famous artists including Van Goch, Salvador Dali and Ozzie Osbourne. An interesting mixture.

Further along the Main Street is the Holland Hotel, one of the oldest in this part of Texas. It was interesting to have a good look around.

After a spot of lunch we visited the Big Bend Museum which is located on the campus of Sul Ross University.

The university was originally built as a teacher training college and is set on a beautiful campus on the edge of town. The museum celebrates the history of the whole area known as the Big Bend, not just the national park. It includes exhibits celebrating the early Spanish conquistadors, through the Mexican wars and to the period that I remember most, the Cowboys and Indians.

The stuffed bear was presented to the museum after being knocked down and killed by a car just outside Alpine.

They are apparently still roaming the local countryside. Another exhibit showed memorabilia from alumni of the university, the most famous being Dan Blocker, Hoss Cartwright from the TV series Bonanza. I remember it well.

In an annex to the museum was an exhibition of local art including some brilliant paintings of the evolution of cattle ranching in the area. A thoroughly enjoyable visit.