River of Lights

For the past ten years, the Rio Grande Botanic Garden in Albuquerque has been the site of the "River of Lights", a holiday-themed display of lights open to the public in the evenings from Thanksgiving to December 30. A few days before Christmas I visited the site, and although it was quite cold (20-ish?), we spent two happy hours wandering around the curving walkways, greenhouse, and water features, viewing the hundreds of thousands of lights, multiple toy train sets, and various singing groups.

Proceeds from the admission fee go to fund the BioVan, an educational outreach program that visits the Albuquerque elementary schools and teaches kids about the Rio Grande, and the plants and animals that form part of its ecology.

I took all these photos at night, without flash--the light and color of the displays is phenomenal, and the photos don't quite do the experience justice, but you get the idea!