Good topic for a thread.
Nick, those are all great reasons to ride, and to ride in a manner that challenges you from time to time.
I feel mostly the same as you, but I haven't really found rando much to my liking. Too heavy a dose of BS and formality that just gets in the way. Just my opinion, of course. None of the things on your list actually require that one submits to the formality of randonneuring. I suppose some folks like that structure though. Perhaps it supplies that last little bit of motivation to actually get out there and do it. So I am not saying rando is fundamentally bad in any way whatsoever, just that its not necessary for everyone.