I guess my age is redefining "safe routes" ... but I am looking for routes that a pretty conservative cyclist would consider safe. I am looking for routes beginning anywhere within about 50 miles of Longview. Thanks.

Check out the routes used by Tyler Bicycle Club for their Beauty and the Beast ride. They have routes from 13 to 67 miles. It's mostly on rural FM roads with very little traffic. Very scenic, but very hilly also.

https://www.tylerbicycleclub.com/EventBBTourDetails.html

https://www.freezeyourfanny.com/

Scroll down on the page, and they have route maps for their routes. I haven't ridden there myself.

There is a Tour de Fireant held in Marshall in the fall, but the website is not currently active for it.

Somewhere around here, I've got a "best bike rides in Texas" book which includes some east Texas rides. I don't remember if any of them are particularly close to Longview. I know there's a couple near Caddo Lake and Jefferson.

One thing you may run into is that "safe" is pretty subjective. In general, riding on rural FM roads that don't have much traffic is considered fairly safe, even if there's no shoulder, and that's what most bike routes in that area are going to be.

Thanks for the ideas. I guess I was really looking for routes with decent shoulders but apparently that is too wishful! We have an awful lot of oilfield traffic in the area that is most convenient for me to use. I know that the vast majority of those big rig drivers are not trying to run me off of the road, but there sure seems to be a lack of space when they come by me at 65 or 70 mph.