This thread is really interesting!

My commute is about 10 miles one way. Work is on the outskirts of a major metro area, in a setting that is slowly turning from rural to affluent suburban. This means that my commute is a mix of 1) McMansion neighborhoods with wide streets with very little traffic and 2) Narrow, no shoulder, single-lane rural roads with light to medium traffic. I ride by some farms, but I'm sure those farms will turn into neighborhoods in 5 years. I have two stoplights and a few stop signs.

In the morning it's still dark and traffic is very light. At the end of the day, during rush hour, it's still mostly only light to medium, with the exception of one 1/2 mile stretch I can't avoid where the traffic is heavy. I have been looking for ways to get around this section of road; one of the options I'm considering takes me along a golf course cart path. I'm hesitant because it's a pretty hoity-toity golf course.