It's a drag about your dog, Marc, and when the time comes to put them down it's really hard.
Mrs.-T and myself have been looking for a place to escape California as well. It's tough to leave here because as far as geography goes, no state can match it or even come close. From a thousand miles of coastline, to vast deserts (my favorite), to the central valley, and the mighty Sierra Nevada mountains, it has it all.
My clan moved to Los Angeles in the '50's from the coast of North Carolina because they were tired of being poor and all did very well here. Like the Beverly Hillbillys we loaded up the truck with all the uncles and aunts, granny, and great gramma, and made the great exit.
Now they are all gone except for my 90 year old mother who has dementia and is in a facility near me. I'm not moving her or leaving her here so I'm here for now.
We've made many road trips around this great country to see where we might go. We drove around the entire state of Texas (it's big!). Thought the Livingston area was nice. Have quite a few friends that have moved to Idaho. A cousin in Tennessee. Looked at Prescott Arizona too. Florida as well. My brother moved back to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
I don't have a truck 'n trailer horror story to tell, but glad yours worked out ok.
