Do you mind if I ask whereabouts in Garland? I'm more familiar with the northern end, and could be of more help up there, but I might be able to figure something out given a rough starting location. In the meantime, a couple of bits of info:

* Yes, the road riding conditions here suck. There's a reason Bicycling named Dallas the worst city in America to ride in, and there's a reason why the White Rock Lake trail is so busy. However, that doesn't mean it can't be done.

* If you want something more like a group ride, your best bet is to hook up with the folks at the Plano Bicycle Association . I don't ride with them because they set out way too early in the mornings, but I may join their midweek rides one of these months...

* If you're looking for something more social, you may want to hook up with the FMD ladies. They hold one or two weekly rides, usually starting near Mockingbird Station, so if you can get to a DART blue line station, you can meet up with them for a ride.

* There's also Bike Friendly Richardson who have rides around Richardson with the goal of showing people where the better riding can be found. I'm putting on a ride for charity with them on Feb. 20 if you'd like to join in (go to the BFR page for details).

* Getting a bit further away from Garland are the good folk at Bike Friendly Oak Cliff who
occasionally host rides as well. There's a link to them from the BFR page I linked to above.

* As I mentioned above, there's also White Rock Lake, if you can get too it (one possibility is the blue line to Lake Highlands station and then ride to White Rock Trail then down to the lake. Once you're at the lake, I can get you on a trail/road mixed route up north into Plano and The Colony if you want a nice long ride (I can even promise you a hill up there!).

Anyway, if you can get us a rough starting location in Garland (a nearby park, landmark, or crossroads) we might be a bit more able to get you started. Hope this helps for now.