How do I mix links that trigger page refreshes, with Angular's html5Mode = true without breaking the back button?

angularjs routes coffeescript pushstate

Two options:

If you're using <a /> tags, specify target="_self" to let AngularJS know it shouldn't capture their clicks (those links will be handled by browser normally). This is not a hack; this is normal documented behavior.
Use $window.location = 'foo' as you have been doing. That is acceptable.