Another bike shop employee here. Avoid the chainless bike. Like another poster said, avoid the all gimmik bikes like the auto-shifter etc. They usually run about the same quality as a Wal-Mart/Sears/Toys'R'Us bikes (complete crap) and are produced by some fly by night company with all kinds of promises of lifetime warranties and gaurentees, meanwhile they go out of business a year later. These bikes also use a good deal of proprietary parts, wich means you could be SOL if something breaks (especially if the company closes up shop).
Since the closest bike shop is 2 hours away... you might also want to invest in some tools to fix your bike when the inevitible happens. Tires go flat, rims bend, bolts losen, stuff breaks. You dont want to have to drive 2 hours just so a bike mechanic can tighten a shifter cable for you.
get aquanted with
http://www.parktool.com 
Another brand to consider is Cannondale. Top notch stuff. I find that most first time buyers take to Giants though. Not quite on par with a Cannondale or Trek, in my opinion, but very close. The prices for Giant bikes are usually very very reasonable for the level of components (brakes, shifters, wheels etc) they are equiped with.
Also, if youd like a nice barely ridden trek carbon fiber cross country mountain bike, im trying to get rid of mine. Its the deal of the century
.Still pretty expensive though, I dont know how much your looking to spend.