Were you at Ridgecrest? That's directly on the other side of the Sierras from me. High desert. Some people like it, but I prefer some hills and vegetation. And occasional humidity above 10%, and daily highs under 100 degrees. It's probably good preparation for the Middle East, though the climate is not near as severe, from what i have heard, compared to someplace like Iraq.

Monterey is gorgeous, anyone who had a chance to live there would be a fool to turn it down.

I have spent some time in Texas, but not having grown up around that kind of heat and humidity, I was miserable. And the scenery did not do much for me, compared to CA. My eye is accustomed to seeing lots of natural beauty, and I would become melancholy in a place like Texas. I did not visit Austin though, just Dallas, Houston and rural East Texas. I was shocked to find that there is a 5000 foot mountain in Texas near the Mexican border. If I ever drive there again, maybe I will take the southern route so I can see some of that stuff.