I feel sorry for you guys with only one commuting route. There are six I use regularly, each with its own variations and cuts. Variety is the spice, and all.
I second that. I am not sure how many routes I have, but at least 6. My favorite is:
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=B...dirflg=b&via=1
Very little car interaction, I ride along a dedicated path along a creek, through a beach area, along bluffs overlooking the beach, through UC Santa Barbara, then onto the street I work on and into the facility. I can only dream of riding up snow covered hills with studded tires, but I don't dream of that often. ;-)