I bought a condo in a mountain resort, sight unseen. After 5 years of perks and many drawbacks, I'm ready to leave.

My dog and I made the best of things and found almost everything we could want in the mountains, but we're now pursuing another path. Diana Kightlinger A home in a resort high in the Blue Ridge Mountains seemed like a perfect refuge for my dog and me. Although I made friends, the isolation, limited dating pool, and high resort prices are tough. Eventually, I realized I couldn't live the life I had in mind here. Now, I plan to move to Maine. In late spring 2021, I sat on the couch adrift in my living room and asked Cody, "What are we doing here?" He didn't know — he would never have traded a life in Montana, complete with a farmhouse, acreage, and a doggie hiking group, to live on a Blue Ridge mountaintop where we knew no one.