Carbon fiber forks are just not as strong. That in itself is not that beg a deal, all forks break eventually. However, carbon fiber, when it fails, fails big. A steel fork simply bends a bit and there is lots of warning that it is going to fail. Carbon fiber, once it is going to fail, breaks all together. When your loaded the risk of this is much higher than when doing club rides with hospitals close by There are people who have toured with carbon fiber but I doubt they would continue to do so as if it were ideal or safe.

If you want a cx bike and will be doing some light touring on the side I highly recommend the Cross-check but you may want to build it up yourself because the stock one only has a double crank which means no granny gear. This will let you really build up a nice strong cross bike that can also handle just about anything els you want to throw at it.

The main difference between cross bikes and touring bikes is the slightly more relaxed geometry of the touring bikes and also the MUCH longer chain stays of the touring bikes. Increases chain stays make the bikes more stable under load but some people think they make the bike less responsive while unloaded. If your not going to tour more than a few times a year then it shouldnt be "That" big a deal. On the other hand check out touring bikes that have chain stays on the shorter end of the spectrum.

I really like the cross check and almost got one as well because I tour only 1-2 a year. However, i like the stablility and dont mind the extra weight of a touring bike unloaded. I also haul a lot of groceries that make it even more worth it. My tours tend to be rather epic as well so if your jsut a weekend tourer dont sweat it!