I'm more annoyed that he agreed to split the cost with me, has been leading me on for months and has now gone silent.
I can sympathize that this is annoying.
We will be coming north anyway so travel expense wouldn't apply as we are already planning to be there.
How long will you be there? It's not like you can file a small claims case and go to trial the same day (or week or even month).
Yes, it not much money but at this point it's more the principle. Someone breaks my door and I'm the one paying for it.
Sometimes stuff happens and there's no one to hold legally liable. Your situation is (potentially) no different than if you were driving on a freeway and a car in front of you kicked up a rock that chips your windshield, and you have to pay to have the windshield replaced. Someone else caused this, but not as a result of negligence, and it's on you to fix it (if you want to do so).