The McKenzie River begins at Clear Lake, high in the Cascades.  From there it spills and tumbles gradually downward toward the Willamette Valley.  By the time it's reached the outskirts of the Springfield/Eugene area, it's broadened and quieted somewhat, but is still beautiful. 

At Hendricks Bridge, where I stopped to admire the bright fall foliage in the park, I spotted these two bundled up friends who had come with lawn chairs, which they set beside the river--the perfect place for a companionable chat.

Rural Walterville, where the valley spreads to include farms, livestock of various kinds, hazelnut orchards and modest farm homes.  Irrigation canals are everywhere in Oregon, and this view shows--not surprisingly--the Walterville canal.

Farmland and hills beyond Walterville.  Note the mixed gold and green colors on the hillsides.

In Leaburg, six miles or so beyond Walterville, I stopped to check out an art gallery I'd noticed in my various drives over here from Bend.  As it turned out, the gallery wasn't open, but I was very surprised to find this intriguing garden behind the building.  The structure in the background with its round arches made me think immediately of Galicia, the Celtic northwest corner of Spain, not only because of the structure itself, but because of the greenery and the fact that it was sprinkling.  Galicia is perennially rainy--or at least misty--and I well remember visiting a formal garden there with my classmates, and how we ended up dancing through the rows of neatly clipped hedges in the rain, with music provided by a friend's guitar.