I think it is all about what appeals to each person-most of my family is in W Texas and the western hill country-I grew up on my family’s small ranch in W Texas. I live in the W hill country now and have for the last 25 years-I have never felt at home in any city, even though I lived in SA when I was in college and for many years after with my 1st husband-we both worked in the city, but lived as far out in the burbs as we could get-he was a ranch kid, too and did not like cities.
We spent a lot of our weekends hunting, canoeing on the river, etc and camping in Big Bend, the Guadalupe mtn state park and also the mountains of NM, where my husband had family, especially when our cub was a kid...
I am basically a loner, so-I like the clean air, the quiet, hiking in the woods, the animals-including the mountain lions, which actually don’t bother anyone-you just should never sneak around, jog, or ride a bike where there are mountain lions-you will look like prey to them-same for bears. I like the dark night skies of the country-it is home to me. I do not like Dallas or Houston at all-the noise and smells are unpleasant-and the humidity of Houston is stifling compared to the cooler, drier air out here. Of course, it does get colder in the Winter here and it does snow-as you said-to each his own...
You sound a lot like me, though I have a northern Florida bent (which is where I’m from. It has stayed with me, even hough I do t live there anymore). I’m good with hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, etc. Not a city girl by any means. Rural is more my style. Maybe that’s part of why I was uncomfortable in Texas, living and working in Houston and the Dallas area. The older I am, the more I retreat to the woods.
I have been to the Guadalupe mountains and the Ozarks with my family and my uncle’s family back in the 70’s. Very pretty. We were accomplished tent campers back in the day. Even though it’s been a dozen years since I’ve tent-camped, I’m sure my muscle memory would kick in.
I have no experience with bears or mountain lions. I’m sure they would both frighten me.
Around here, coyotes travel in packs, and when you have one, there are more around. I’m cognizant of that. I leave them alone, but, if one or more of them surrounded a pet on my property, I’d try to scare them off first with noise. If that didn’t stop them, I’m afraid that using a gun would be my next best option.