I go an extra quarter of a mile to avoid 4 miles of hot heavy trafficked roadway and a steep hill that has me crossing multiple lanes of heavy traffic to get home. By doing so I ride along a quieter road, next to a lake, then up the backside of the same hill but with switchbacks, on a paved trail, through prairiegrasses, it's one of my favorite rides. And it was my commute til I started working from home. But MDHillSlug has a point -- what's your path like and what's your goal?

On another note have you seen http://www.mapmyride.com? It's my newest online bike addiction, and it's helping me discover new routes in my own backyard.