if you can give us a budget, your choices become a lot more specific. The main thing I have gleaned from your post is you ride long distances often. for this reason i think the trek 520 or similar bike would be great. you can load it up for those weekend and week long rides, or take the bags off and use the rack to carry things around town. they are durable, built for lots of miles on various terrain. surly long haul trucker or similar also jumps out to me as an easy choice for your needs. lets get more specific and narrow things down some... are you afraid of used bikes? lots of great options if you have a bit of confidence.

good luck