Time for an upgrade

Hey y'all,

I've been riding on a Trek 3500 since I turned 11, and now I think it's finally time for an upgrade. I'm 25 now… I really need an upgrade. I've loved that bike, and it served me well through roads, trails, puddles, and even some light mountain biking. I'd like to be able to continue that fun and healthy exercise on a new bike this summer.

I live in the Texas Hill Country, which has its flats, hills, and both paved and dirt roads. I want something that can handle all of this and am thus leaning toward an all-road bike. Although I've considered gravel, I think a gravel bike would be overkill. That said, I do have the Trek Checkpoint on my list. I will probably be on paved road about 75% of the time.

Although I've done a lot of recreational biking, my bike knowledge is very limited, which is why I am here. A friend, who is pretty into street biking, recommended the Trek Domane AL. That's my starting point. I've never really used drop, which I'm slightly worried about. I'm always down to try something new, but my concern is mostly because I'm used to doing a lot of turning and maneuvering — granted this could be an unfounded concern (I just don't really know anything about drop bars I guess). After looking at Trek and the internet, I have four final contenders – although I'm all ears for any other suggestions.

My understanding is that Domane is a really nice all-road bike. Dual Sport is a more budget friendly hybrid. Checkpoint is a really nice gravel bike. And as for the FX, I'm not entirely sure what its purpose is, but it seems like another versatile flat bar. But I'm not sure what the real diff is between FX 2, 3, and Sport or why the price range for FX is so drastic.

Domane AL 2 Gen 4 – Trek Bikes

Trek FX – probably either a FX 3 or FX Sport

Dual Sport 2 Gen 5 – Trek Bikes

Checkpoint ALR 3 – Trek Bikes (although it looks like maybe these aren't being sold yet??)

Unless someone has a really convincing argument otherwise, I'd really like to stick with Trek. There's a full-service Trek shop down the street from me, and that in itself is enough for me to justify the higher price of Trek. That said, I probably will go there to pick their brains about a bike, but I wanted to ask here to get my bearings first.

My price range is $500-$1300, and I'm willing to pay on that higher end if it's something that'll really last me and is worth it.

Also, in case this matters, I'm 5'11.

TL;DR: Long-time bike rider (but technical bicycle noob) is looking for an all-purpose Trek upgrade.

Thank you so much in advance! I really appreciate all the help I can get.