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Hi Dave, it's good to meet you. My solution is to find roads that have very little traffic. Around here that's easy. I know your area a bit because I spent some time working up around Georgetown. You should be able to head west, northwest, southwest, and find back roads that are fun to ride. Just stay away from the coast, route 17, and the main roads into the area like 26 and the ones that parallel it. Looking at a map now, I see a lot of little roads west of town, and some look pretty curvy. You just have to check a map to get some ideas of where you want to try going, and go out and see how it works out.
In my area, if I stuck to the larger roads, I wouldn't have a lot of fun. There aren't many curves, and there are enough cars to take what little fun there is away. But I've found many very back-road routes and regularly use them when I need to go somewhere. My dentist is about 70 miles east of here, so instead of taking the hour and fifteen minute direct route, I take a deserted road version that adds maybe 15 minutes, and make it very enjoyable. I've gone that way and not seen another vehicle for 25 miles at a stretch. You just need to work out similar routes near you.
As far as skills that make you confident, attending a track day will teach you more about handling the bike in one day than you'll learn in a year on the road. The other thing you have to get good at is watching what's going on, and riding in a way that lets you avoid problems before they become problems. Always stay in control, and don't get in a situation in which a guy pulling out in front of you, or turning left into you "forces" you to crash. Anticipate that he could do that, and adjust your speed and position so when he does the wrong thing, you can handle it.
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