Punkncat,
I ride Silver Comet every week and agree that it's a fantastic resource. Sounds like you started at the shopping center on East-West Connector, and this is the most crowded part of the path. I like to start at the bike shop on Floyd Road in Mableton (I think you went right past it) and ride west from there. It's much less crowded. There is another great launching point in Dallas called the Tara Drummond Park, and west from there is a great railroad trestle and 800 ft long tunnel. Congrats on your accomplishment!