Fall at the Botanic Garden

Today's Saturday adventure was inspired

by today's ADAD theme "seasonal".

I had an idea to go to the children's garden at the Botanic Garden.

It represents an enlarged garden, or one where the people

have shrunk, like in the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."
visitors start by walking down a path that appears to take them underground.

They then enter an area with many side areas to explore.

This bee has a sensor that buzzes when people walk past it.

There are large features like a watering can and planter pot.

Walls define the area throughout this exhibit.

Anyone interested in large ants and their eggs?

Not me!
I came to visit this area because of the large pumpkin.

Pumpkins are seasonal for fall!!!

Visitors can even walk inside this one and see "seeds" hanging

from the top!

More natural tree and wooded type features

are also a part of this exhibit.

Ella enjoyed seeing the pine cones and acorns!

Toward the end of the exhibit area

there is a garden. It once was covered with a type of mesh screen

above it, but is now open. Look at this carrot!

I loved the orange flowers that were next to it.

There is another view of the pumpkin from the

garden with the large vegetables.
The wire looking figures throughout the park

are light cords being set up for the Festival of Lights

that takes place in December.

For the moment, it was a beautiful fall day!

I saw the signs and remembered that today was the annual train show.

The Botanic Garden has a landscaped model train set that local club members

have access to all year, and so it seems a natural extension when they also

have one weekend a year when they are invited to set up trains and tracksin other areas of the park.

I liked the model of the "Rail Runner" because the real Rail Runner

is a commuter train between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

It was set up in an area covered with vines often used for weddings

and other gatherings.

Another area with model trains was around the fountain

that we really like.

My favorite model train area is still the one that is landscaped

as an exhibit.

This is a video from YouTube.
It was filmed on one of the model trains in the exhibit area

on October 18, 2013.

I enjoy seeing the train point of view of what we enjoy

seeing in person when we visit the exhibit!

During our visit today,
I quickly heard that one model train had been "dressed up"

for Halloween by its owner.

ADAD Seasonal

I kept watching and waiting for it to go by

so that I could get a good ADAD photo of it!

After I finished photographing the Halloween train,

we walked back the other way.

It was time to wait for the Rio Line train!

The Rio Line train carries passengers

between the Botanic Garden and the Zoo.

I enjoy riding the train in a loop.

In the middle of the path between the Botanic Garden

and Zoo is Tingley Beach, which is also owned by the Bio Park.

There is a section with 2 tracks so that 2 trains can run in opposing

ends of the path and pass each other safely.

We passed through the man-made fishing ponds

at Tingley Beach

and entered the Rio Grande Zoo from the back end.

A few people got on, and then we left to return to the

Botanic Garden.

We entered the Botanic Garden,

and looped past Sasebo Japanese Garden and the
Heritage Farm exhibit areas to turn the train around.

We returned to the Botanic Garden train station

about 45 minutes after we had gotten on.

It is such a relaxing ride!

It was about time to go.

We walked through the entrance courtyard

on our way out.

A number of people, especially those with children

have been stopping to take photos with the pumpkins

and the bales of straw.

I tried out a few settings on on my camera.

This was the fish eye setting.

This is also the fish eye setting.

And this, of course, is the orange of autumn

wishing everyone a happy October!