Guys, I really appreciate what you are saying.
When Ms. Smoke and I lived in Idaho, it was pretty idyllic. We had 10 acres backing up to state land, on a dirt road, that going in 3 more miles was in the Kootenai National Forrest. Nobody was on property either to the east or west of us. We lived in a nice log house that totaled about 2,200 sq, ft. Detached was a 2 car garage with a narrow but usable workshop. I could and did shoot right off the front porch.
About 15 years ago, we left our little bit of utopia and moved down to CA to care for my mother-in-law. Although not something I would have ever considered, it was the right thing to do. So we stayed here, even after the mom passed away.
So now, at 75, I think my moving years are a thing of the past. We try to go back to Idaho every couple of years and we surely do not like the look of what we see. Never in my life would I ever have imagined gridlock traffic on the main north-south thoroughfare. The secondary roads on either side of it suffer the same fate. It isn't the place I left anymore and it isn't the place I want to be.
So, I guess I will just stay where I am. Being on the coast isn't my cup of tea, but I don't have to pack any boxes to stay, either. The redeeming factor is that the weather is pretty nice on my arthritic back. There is still the problem of the state being run by a bunch of liberal whackos, but that seems to be systematically a problem of most of the coastal states, east or west coast.
John (Bigsmoke)