I've been reading through this thread, for a while, and I'm only about halfway through. I built my first drop-bar mountain bike back in 1994, and I've ridden dropped off and on, since. Right now, I don't ride anything with straight bars. Every bike in my stable has mustache bars, flipped Albatross bars, or something similar.
Last night, however, I built up a 1992 Trek 950, with a Midge on it, for an upcoming vintage bike assault on Webster's Pass.
Story here, if you want to read it:
Two Wheels - Six Strings: 1992 Trek 950 Drop-Bar Conversion