What town are you in? Austin's great for riding - both road and mountain. Plenty of roads w/ wide shoulders and minimal lights. I only had to stop once on my ride today. I hate stopping...
I ride in Bakersfield, CA. There is an excellent path that runs along the Kern river. I have a couple miles and a couple of signals before I get to the path, but after that, you've got about 25 miles of uninterrupted riding, from one end to the other. Bakersfield is fairly bicycle friendly, but I'm with you. I hate stopping, so I hit the path and move right along.
There are a couple of pretty good climbs here, too. But, when I really feel the need to get in some hill work, I head to the coast and ride with friends out there.
And, yes, there is some pretty good mountain biking in the area, too.