When I bought my first bike I went for a Jamis Ventura sport, for $650 new. I didn't know anything about bikes back then and the guy at the store told me that's what he had for the money I could pay. I went in asking for a good bike for $300-350 (Hey, I said I didn't know anything about bikes!).
Long story short, I loved the bike and when the time came to upgrade I bought Jamis again, so I really recommend it. Their entry level line for endurance are between $750-1100 and you can also buy a steel bike for not a lot of money. The main advantage of steel is that it the ride won't be as stiff as carbon or aluminum, which for your leisure trips should be convenient.
Whatever bike you end up buying may I suggest you buy NOS? It will save you a ton of money than buying the latest available. Also buying online will be cheaper. Lots of bike shops sell their leftover from previous years on ebay; these are new bikes with full warranty, the only downside is you can try it beforehand and you still need to spend some cash to have it assembled. Also, you need to see if there's an authorized dealer in your area as to now void your warranty.
Good luck, I'm willing to bet you'll get hooked and will be upgrading your bike within a year.