I looked up the Ergon grips. They look interesting, I think I'll have to try them. I think if I get to a point where I would like drops, I'll probably buy new bars.
I do tend to ride mostly on paved/concrete roads/mups so far. Attempting to commute the 26-27 miles one way to work would be all paved. I'll probably try that when I consistently ride 30 miles on my road trips.
I'm consistently riding 17-20 right now nightly...providing it don't rain.
Tires, hmm, I think I like what I have at the moment, actually I don't know if I'd know the difference right now going from a 700/32 to a 700/28, because my top sustainable speed seems to be about 22 mph and my normal average is about 12 mph. I do tend to push myself upward to 18 mph often, but I look at that as a physical conditioning thing more than tire help. ;-)
Thanks for the replies all. This gives me some more food for thought.