We are taking a road trip once again. This morning we left our house in San Leandro and drove to nearly the northern edge of California, stopping at Yreka, 
Bob at Mt Shasta overlook
California, in the State of Jefferson. We thought that the traffic of the Bay Area would become calmer when headed on North on Interstate 5. Instead, for reasons unknown to us, it seemed that the truck traffic increased; we were in chains of semi-trailer trucks for much of the time.
But our predictions came true in very happy ways: after we left the extensive walnut-growing region between Vacaville and Red Bluff, the clouds of dirt and pieces of walnut shells left the air leaving the skies blue and clear. We passed through olive orchards too, as well as stock ranches for cattle and goats and bales of hay. We had expected to be near wildfire areas but so far the only signs of fire damage were from fires of previous years (and we could see rebirth in bright green patches on the ground between the charred and battered tree trunks).
Mount Shasta was covered with snow when we glimpsed the summit from many miles away, although as we got closer the cloud cover made it impossible to see any of the mountain. The shock was seeing how low Lake Shasta is - earlier we passed a car pulling a couple of Jet Skis - we decided that the driver was hoping to find somewhere to use them, but this is not the time.
We stopped for lunch in Red Bluff, at a Thai restaurant at the edge of town, and had a tasty meal 
Mt. Shasta between trees
of Larb for Bob and Pork and cashew stir fry for Elsa. The young man on duty greeted us on entry saying, "We don't serve lunch any more, but we do serve dinner all day long."
So far, we note that mask wearing is common but not universal. We keep our masks on when we enter a building and find that many others do also.
We have made reservations at a series of Best Western motels. Our first night, here in Yreka, is a comfortable room. The motel seemed empty through the afternoon but now, in the evening, it looks about half-full.
Signs on the outskirts of town say Welcome to Jefferson. This was our indication that the movement is alive here. There are several Northern California counties which have filed complaints against the California government, protesting governmental overreach in several instances including levying taxes which the residents believe is unfair because they are not receiving the appropriate services they are paying for. They would like their proposed state, Jefferson, to secede from the Union. Their website details their proposals.