Day trip to Alpine Texas for outdoor Theater and more

You wouldn't think outdoor theater would be a good idea in West Texas, in July, but we really wanted to get out of the park (Big Bend National Park) and Sul Ross State University's Theater of the Big Bend in Alpine Texas was performing 'Smokey Joe's Cafe' at the Kokernot Outdoor Theater. And we wanted to see the Museum of the Big Bend and explore Alpine's downtown murals.  So, off we went.

downtown Alpine exploring the murals

We headed out early to Terlingua for some lunch at the Chile Pepper Cafe, on the suggestion of a friend that likes his food really, really hot like we do.  And the food was good, and Lupe burned his mouth on a taco (but I don't have a picture of that).

The trip from Terlingua to Alpine was uneventful, sadly, because we were warned about the wild burrows and were on the lookout the entire way. But no burrows.

Once we were in Alpine, we hit the Natural Grocery Store, went crazy on food as you do when you live in the middle of nowhere and get to a real grocery store, and then headed to Sul Ross State Univerisity where we spent several hours at the Museum of the Big Bend.

Museum of the Big Bend 

We were anxious to see the Museum and 'Foto Texas II: People, Place and Culture' a Texas Photographic Society exhibit located in the museum.

The Fallen Officer Memorial outside the Museum entrance

Museum entrance

The museum has a regional topographic display that gives you a sense of where things are located and their physical relationship to each other in this large this west Texas area.

pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus recreation

Among the many interesting things you'll find walking through the small museum, are recreations of the largest known flying creature of all time, the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus, whose fossilized bones are only found at Big Bend National Park and

The Tall Rockshelter display

The 'Tall Rockshelter', a 2-story, prehistoric Native American rock painting found deep in the canyons of the Davis Mountains.  The Center for Big Bend Studies, also on the campus of Sul Ross State University, is currently conducting an analysis of materials and data collected from the artifact.

Also, in the museum are areas describing the Big Bend Legacy with informational displays following the human occupation of the region from the original Indians that settled the region, its discovery by Cabeza de Vaca to the expansion of the United States into the region with the stagecoach and trains.

Foto Texas II: People, Place and Culture

Even though it was closing time, the gratious museum staff allows us a few moments in the exhibit room for Foto Texas II the curated exhibit of regional photos.

panorama of the photo exhibit

Theater of the Big Bend

Then we were off to the Theater.  It had been so long that we jumped at the chance to go to a regional theater, and it was an amazing evening with two friends who also worked at Big Bend.  The first thing they announced as the performance began was, of course, that no photos or videos were allowed. So, I only have a collage of the stage and photos from the playbill.

Stage, Cast & Crew from Smokey Joe's Cafe

The performance by the Theater of the Big Bend of 'Smokey Joe's Cafe' was very energetic.  We all really enjoyed the college student performances, and it all brought me back to my Singing Cadet days at A&M.  Oh, and it was a pleasantly cool evening once the sun when down; so west Texas at 4500 ft isn't so hot after all, in July.