I went ahead and bought a Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29. I wanted to try out a mountain bike without breaking the budget. This was normally $950, but marked down to $675. Pretty good specs with Deore 1x10, Shimano brakes and RockShox air fork. Downside...no dropper post (might get later), QR (not thru axles) and I would have preferred 1x12. The tires are 29x2.35 (might swap out for wider tires later), which probably aren't going to cut it on some of the really sandy stuff. I decided to ride this one as much as I can in the area and if there are some roads I can't get through I'll just find others that I can. I think this will still open up more forest road opportunities that I can't do on the gravel bike. If I feel I'm really missing out I can get a fat bike in the future.