I spent some time stationed in So Cal. Compared to there the wheeling here is pretty much non existent. Not to say there is none but nothing remotely compared to Cali. Also I found the terrain in California to be far more beautiful than most parts of Texas with exception of the hill country and big bend areas.
Close to the DFW area (I live about an hour east of Dallas), we have Bridgeport on the north west side of Fort Worth and Barnwell Mtn/Gilmer to the east of Dallas by about 2 hours, both are pay to play. For what it's worth Arkansas isn't too far away and they have a lot of National Forest service areas that are pretty nice, same for New Mexico but is a good bit further than Arkansas. There are other areas in Texas but they require quite a drive to get there. It's faster for me to get to the Carson National Forest in New Mexico than to get to Big Bend Texas.
There is very little (practically zero) public access land out here compared to the western part the US. Texas is very proud of their personal land ownership and it shows when no matter where you drive you're flanked by a fence line.
As for selling the Jeep. I did the same thing. I grew up west of Fort Worth in a small town so knew what I was getting into coming back. I sold my 97 when I moved back to Texas. Fast Foward a few years to now and I've got another XJ lol.