Former commuter getting back on the bike

From 2009 to 2021 I was a full time bike commuter, ~5500 miles a year, no car. Most of the time I rode a SSCX bike. It's a wall hanger now. I also raced CX and XC. On a whim, I rode my full suspension XC bike to work and hated everything about it. It's heavy, bouncy, flat bars didn't feel right to my wrists.

I've been watching Craigslist and FB Marketplace but it's all "vintage" Schwinns from Walmart or something left out in the rain for a decade. 

I want a drop bar, 1x, gravel/all-road that's sub $1k. I don't need a lot of gears because my commute is basically flat but I also want to ride some gravel trails/back roads for fun. Ability to mount a rear rack is a plus but not necessary. 40+ mm tires also a plus. 

6'1", 235lb, 33" inseam. Normally ride a 56/57 in CX or 19" in MTB.

Pics of the dearly departed and current bikes for attention.