Fowler "Pappy" Boppy Stanton - story from a student
Saturday, March 06 2010 @ 10:40 CST Contributed by: patclem
Today at Boppy's funeral, we met many people, some Donna, Sonata and the rest of the family knew, others were from life before our crew. We heard many stories. From Mindi Mercer via email to Donna, This story was never verbalized since his death, but quite special and easy to share with you.
Pappy, You Will Be Missed
It was a little band room on the outer edge of a small middle school in rural Jackson County Tennessee, furnished with old metal folding chairs and even older music stands, and filled with students from fifth grade through high school, all of whom it took to make a roster for the band an entire county shared. There weren't enough kids for the schools to each have their own. Still, when the new band director walked in, a little short and with full eyebrows, he seemed bigger than life in his tiny surroundings. His name? Fowler Stanton, but we all called him "Pappy".
We knew he'd been in the service, but it was his demeanor and passion for music that made it evident right away that his actual age belied the strength of heart and mind under that mop of silver hair. He didn't seem to notice or care that we were just a rag tag bunch of kids from the middle of nowhere that knew nothing about what an actual band should look or sound like. He never seemed to consider that our options or potential were as limited as our experiences or funding. He just assumed we could do what we set out to, and then so did we.
None of us knew what we were doing. We were mostly just looking for something else to do in a town with very few options, but he didn't care. He hauled us to band camp at nearby Tennessee Tech, his alma mater, anyway, and hauled our behinds out of bed at the most ungodly hours to march around the field and practice in various rooms around campus all week. There were more than a few grumbles on our parts and a little astonishment that the schedule that was wearing our young selves out didn't even seem to phase this man that was decades older than even our oldest members.
He wasn't one to take any nonsense, but he hardly ruled his band like his military background might imply. He was tough, but always fair, and he was interested in more than what we could do or be for the band itself. He wanted us carry the new found confidence and can do attitude he instilled into everything we did. Thankfully many of us did. He also didn't put much stock in traditions, at least ones that no longer needed to apply, and made his decisions based only on a persons ability alone instead of their circumstances.
A few months after he came, he decided we would reorganize the positions within the band. There I was, as a 5th grader one of the youngest in the band, and so pretty low on the totem pole. As I held my own trumpet I looked up the row to the boy who was first trumpet and a high school senior. Even knowing how Pappy was, I thought surely even he wouldn't elevate a lowly 5th grader to a position of authority, no matter how minor, over a senior in high school. He did though. Not only did he make me first trumpet, he made me leader of the brass section as well. He then proceeded to teach me the trombone, baritone, and french horn as well, and had me assist with beginning band even though my age would've placed me in that same category, regardless of ability, in most programs.
It may seem like a small thing, in a small place no one has heard of and most will likely never see, but it meant the world to me. From then on, I looked at every situation with a "Why not?" attitude that has opened so many doors in life. Every single day I use that "Who says I can't?" lesson I learned so many years ago to chase my dreams, dreams I may not have had without him giving me faith that I could do anything I set my mind to, regardless of my situation or the status quo.
Obviously, I adored Pappy. He was like a surrogate grandfather, and so his good opinion held great weight with me. I will never forget the day I thought I had lost it. A few of us had been at school after hours doing something for the band, and we got bored and did something silly. It wasn't horrendous, but it was irresponsible and immature, which is often the case with kids. As is also often the case with kids, we were clueless and were found out. He knew what we had done, but not who had done it. That afternoon, as he stood there in front of the entire group, letting us know that he knew and he was disappointed, I felt my stomach drop and then churn with that unbearable queasiness of guilt. I went home and cried myself to sleep that night, feeling just horrible. I had let him down after all he'd done and had violated the trust he had placed in me when no one else would've given me the chance to do half the things he knew I could do. I had to make things right.
The next day, I felt the dread of what I had to do all day long. The clock would alternate from flying and drawing me closer to the moment of truth, to moving like molasses and dragging out that awful feeling of not knowing. Likewise, my mind flipped from wanting to hurry up and get it over with to mentally trying to will time to slow down and put it off just a little longer. When the time finally came, band was over and everyone was gone from the band room. I walked up to Pappy, teary eyed and with a trembling lip, and muttered "It was me. I'm sorry." while half holding my breath for his response. Then he did something I found remarkable at the time.
He didn't yell, or grill me for the names of my cohorts, or even lecture me for letting him down. He said "It's okay. Thank you for telling me the truth." and patted my shoulder. He even smiled to let me know it would be alright. Looking back, I think he must've seen it on my face from the first that I was guilty. I think instead of forcing me to fess up then and there, he gave me a chance to do the right thing on my own. By doing that, he taught me a life lesson about stepping up and taking responsibility, and with his response, he taught me how to be gracious when someone else lets you down.
As you can see, while he might have been there to teach us to read music and to play the instrument of our choice, he taught us so much more. I'm ashamed to say I didn't stick with playing, and that after he moved on to another school that I only wrote him one letter of thanks while in high school. I wish there had been many more. I will always be thankful, however, that the life lessons stuck, as did the love of music in all forms that he helped nurture.
In short, I will always be grateful that he walked into that little room and into all of our lives. Now that he has moved on to a better place, I can only marvel at the man and the vast number of people who were better for knowing him in his eighty-eight years on this earth. I think it is safe to say that while we have lost an angel, heaven has most assuredly gained one.
Thursday, March 04 2010 @ 02:11 CST Contributed by: patclem
Last week on the evening of February 25, 2010, our family lost Fowler Stanton (Boppy.) He was Donna's stepdad and the man that raised her. He was always up to something crazy or poetic. The story below is one we found while going through his wishes.
A little background: Boppy was raised on a farm in Buffalo Valley, Tennessee. Most people know it as an exit to go fly fishing on the Caney. It was a bustling area back in the early 20th century. Boppy had many stories of good times, and mystery and intrigue. I remember him telling stories of singing and music, ghost stories, firefox, cream separators, the old barn! The story below is one he wrote about him and Amadeus' (aka Joe Dog) adventure
We'll all miss him very much. I look forward to all the stories at his "visitation" on March 5. There will be plenty of good ones.
Fowler G. Stanton
646 Lakeview Drive
Smithville, TN 37166
To The Editor:
Amadeus, my treasured Golden Retriever and faithful companion, and I recently took an autumn pilgrimage as we always do this time of the year down by the countryside of my heritage. Amadeus, being the superior canine that he is, is usually the “trail boss” and I just follow his lead. However on this journey I was a little concerned because of the route he had chosen. This happened to be the “ Valley of Trouble Winds”; a valley where few men have dared to trod. According to legend, those certain men never returned. So with some anxiety I followed Amadeus’ lead and strolled along with him. I rely on the fact that Amadeus’ resilience can take care of any thing that crosses our path.
I take pride in also knowing that my faithful pet and I have a wonderful ability to communicate. He barks in certain tones that lets me know when he is answering to the call of the wild or if he just feels like saying hello. He growls when there is danger, and has a quiet murmur when the moon is full and suspicion is in the air.
Upon entering this certain valley, we saw two trails, one was heavily trodden, and clean with deer tracks. The other was laden with lichens and moss. Amadeus being no fool, chose the clean track. We had not traveled far when Amadeus started to growl and ended with a murmur. I quickly inspected his direction and noticed a footprint. However this just wasn’t some foot of a deer or mountain lion, this was a huge human-like footprint! It was the size of a washtub! Up above and beyond we caught a quick glimpse of a figure about eight feet tall, with a wardrobe of long hair and beetle eyes. After a quiet conference with Amadeus, we elected to take the trail less traveled.
Soon we had reached the end of our joumey where there was a pond of mystery. This small indention of water had become quite infamous over the years, and it didn’t take me long to recognize where we were. We lingered a while since there was enough light to look into this dark lake of sorts to notice some fish were “belly-up”. Puzzled I leaned against an old beaver stump and studied the surface of the water. Soon the night creatures began declaring their thousand “knowledges”.
There was no light but that of the stars. Night had fallen. The corona borealis was near its zenith, and Venus was dominant in the south. Orion was riding the dark ridge behind me. Amadeus started making sounds and moans that were new to me. All of the sudden there was a BOOM!!! In the center of the lake, I first noticed small bubbles, then followed by an undescribable creature. It was about the size of a Volkswagen Bug! It curved at the neck which was about six feet long and had the head of a reptile!
At the first glimpse of Amadeus and me, it snorted a streak of tire and slowly started approaching us. I said to my inquisitive dog, “How in the he@! did that thing get HERE all the way from Scotland?!?”
So, with this gigantic creature on our trail, we cut our own path out of the valley. He was charging at us and up ahead stood the hairy giant waiting!! The hills on either side were so steep we didn’t make in time until the webbed feet monster had his knife and fork ready for dinner. I knew Amadeus could whoop them, so I wasn’t that scared. Before I knew it, my faithful companion grabbed the creature by the leg and “Big Foot” by another body part that apparently did the trick. With one unfailed swoop, the creatures yelped back into their posts with their “tails” between their legs, so to speak. I was yelling and running toward Amadeus to thank him and hug him for being such a hero.
Before I knew it, I was being shook and grabbed at. My eyes opened where my wife stood over me asking what in the world was going on. I immediately asked where was my favored dog, she said, “he is laying right beside the bed”. I asked Amadeus, “Did you have the same dream Ijust had?” he sat his head in my lap, looked up and moaned, “AAAAAAOOOOOOOOHHHHHHEEEEEE”.
Happy Halloween!
Fowler Stanton
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Camera is Ready to Upgrade, Which One?
Sunday, February 07 2010 @ 08:15 CST Contributed by: patclem
I guess readers can see that I've gotten pretty big into photography. It's another good way to combine my favorite sports and activities with yet another challenge. I've carried my DSLR across Iowa on my bike in my handlebar bag. I've hiked miles deep into Walls of Jericho with all my lenses and my full size tripod (what was I thinking on that one?) I have a waterproof case so I can take it canoeing or kayaking.
So many times, I've taken beautifully composed pictures on my adventures (like my Natchez Trace tour) only to return home and the pictures were crap. They turn out to be just a little off - sharpness, exposure, the flash might wash a scene out, etc. That's why I researched cameras and came up with my DSLR selection. Over time, my opinions have fine tuned on the gear I like. I love L-series Canon lenses for a variety of reasons. I'm kinda itching for a full body camera, but I'd have to be walking through the forest and some money would have to fall on me. Either way, point-and-shoot users can rest assured that any DSLR with interchangeable real glass lenses and large sensors will improve the quality of your photos 10-fold.
So which camera should I buy? That's a question I get frequently from my friends. Since I'm biased towards Canon, I'm going to limit my response to the question to Canon. That said, someone with an investment in Nikon has a choice to make.
Anyhow, you'll have to click Read More below to get the rest.
Sunday, January 24 2010 @ 08:11 CST Contributed by: patclem
I don't know if many folks have heard of a 365 project. You essentially take one photo per day and post it to a set on Flickr. The basic rule is you have to post a picture from that day, which means you have to take a picture every day. Some folks say you're supposed to be in every one of them. I'm not following that rule in mine. I kind of use it as a photo diary.
The hard part is when you have a long day at work. It gets old taking pictures of things at work. Then after dark, it gets tougher to take a photo. Thank goodness for my Droid. I can take an impromptu photo with no special equipment.
So far it's been kind of interesting. I spend "down time" like driving, scanning for a future photo opportunity. See something interesting in a restaurant? Grocery store?
It's easy to spend too much time taking pictures of things I'm eating, or the dogs or cats. Maybe I'll take pictures of the dogs and cats eating?
I think everyone should give this a try. It's kinda fun and it gets you out of the house.
Most Recent Post: 01/31 06:21 by Anonymous [ Views:: 38 ]
Motorola Droid Review
Saturday, November 28 2009 @ 09:10 CST Contributed by: patclem
As a Verizon customer for years, I was a little reluctant to switch to AT&T just for an iPhone. I mean really - your smart phone has to first work properly as a phone, and I know from observation that the Verizon network is better almost everywhere. I'm a little miffed about the rumor mill, suggesting that the iPhone will come to Verizon. I doubt that will ever happen. So, finally a contender arrived - the Motorola Droid. I upgraded my 4-year old Motorola Razr, got the data service, and I'm now sorry I waited! So here's my review so far.
Most Recent Post: 02/05 07:32 by Anonymous [ Views:: 248 ]
The Letter I Never Sent
Wednesday, October 14 2009 @ 10:45 CDT Contributed by: patclem
Dear survivors of David Allison, I owe you a sincere apology. I rode the NTP with my buddy Steve in September of 2009. The terrible experience I had around Jackson and Tupelo with high speed motor vehicle traffic inspired me to write a letter to the park service that they needed to correct it. I never sent it and I feel terrible. If I had, and followed up on it, maybe David would still be alive. Here is the letter:
Dear Sirs,
I recently completed a self-supported bicycle tour of the entire length of the Natchez Trace Parkway - September 20 - 27. There are so many to enjoy this resource - historical and natural wonders are abound. The bicycle camping facilities are well placed, clean and were just what we needed. I did come away with so many wonderful memories, but I have a few negative experiences bicycling that I feel I need to share, and others have also expressed. My only intent is to increase safety for bicyclists, and possibly increase the usage doing so.
First and foremost, the areas around Jackson and Tupelo MS are extremely heavily used by commuters and cross-town short-cutters. It doesn't seem that commuting and short-cutting is the intended purpose of the Natchez Trace Parkway, but I understand people will continue to use it. Fifty miles per hour is too fast and unsafe for cyclists with no shoulder. I propose reducing the speed limit to at most 40 miles per hour in these areas. The alternative is to provide a safe shoulder for cyclists to travel the NTP in these areas.
Second, I understand that construction vehicles should be allowed on the NTP to reduce construction costs, including the paving projects around Tupelo. But, they should abide by special regulations, such as 10mph below the posted NTP speed limit, and slower around cyclists. We were nearly run off the road several times by dump trucks.
Third, riding south to north for seven days, we saw a total of three park rangers. Our first was at mile post 187. The officer was extremely courteous. The other two were in Tennessee. More officers are needed, particularly around Tupelo and Jackson to slow commuters down.
Finally, I propose that a law be enforced on the NTP requring motor vehicles to give a minimum of three feet when passing bicycles. Mississippi and Alabama have no such law, but Tennessee enacted the Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007 to require this. You can find more about that law at www.tennessee3feet.org.
Thank you so much for considering these suggestions.
Sincerely, Pat Clements
David Allison was killed on the Natchez Trace Parkway while touring it by bicycle on October 9. The Park Service press release stated that it appears the bicyclist swerved out in front of the car. In advocacy circles, they call this the Single Witness Suicide Swerve. More or less, this careless driver negligently ran over and killed David and there were probably no witnesses to what really happened other than the driver's testimony at the scene.
After hunting information about the death, I also stumbled across an incident in April where a bicyclist from Netherlands was run over and killed. I have no idea the outcome of that investigation.
To redeem my lack of follow-through, I can assure you that I will do everything I can to save lives other cyclists on roadways where I can have an influence. And I intend to push the NTP management to correct the situation of unsafe drivers on their roadway. I am truly sorry and I carry this guilt forward in my mission.
What can you do when someone is killed like this? INSIST that the accident is thoroughly investigated. That means the driver's speed should be estimated by length of skid marks. The driver's cell phone records should be subpoena'ed and reviewed for activity during the time of the accident. You should question whether drug and alcohol tests were performed. District Attorneys and law enforcement many times believe bicyclists should not be on the road. At least by Tennessee and Mississippi law, bicyclists by law are valid users of the roadway. DA's and police have an obligation to protect us. They MUST do their job. And if they don't know how to do their job, they must be informed.
Finally, the National Park Service, which encourages bicyclists by providing special facilities and marketing materials for bicyclists, need to correct the safety problems they have around Jackson and Tupelo. We can't afford another death on the NTP. We're already bankrupt from the ones in 2009.
I'm still very sad and full of regret for not sending my letter.
Most Recent Post: 11/03 02:42 by Anonymous [ Views:: 198 ]
Heels on Wheels Nashville
Monday, October 12 2009 @ 11:12 CDT Contributed by: patclem
Hope you find this interesting.
October 12, 2009
For immediate release
Long-time Nashvillian and Tennessee native Sonata Stanton-Rayburn is proud to announce the opening of The Heels on Wheels, a personal shopping and courier service that covers everything from stocking groceries and household items to planning Baby's nursery to assisting in holiday shopping and gift selections.
Prior to starting Heels On Wheels, Rayburn worked in the music business at Progressive Global Agency, the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association and most recently in economic development for the state of Tennessee.
In her former positions, Rayburn has been most drawn to the parts of the job that required organizational and people skills. "When I asked myself what it is I most enjoyed day in and day out, it always came back to taking care of people," Rayburn says. "I've always been able to put employers, clients and consultants at ease with five simple words 'I'll take care of it' and that was the most gratifying."
"Sonata defines the word multi-tasking," says former employer Scott Clayton of CAA. From maintaining databases, writing up contracts and most importantly keeping positive artist relations she did that and so much more every day with professionalism and a smile."
"Sonata is a joy to work with," says former co-worker Stacey Briggs, President and Executive Director of Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association. "She has the passion and creativity to solve any problem no matter how big or small."
Heels On Wheels will launch with an introductory party at Cabana Restaurant on Wednesday Oct 21 from 5:00pm-7:30pm. All are welcome.
Heels On Wheels is reliable, insured and bonded. For more information:
Sonata Stanton-Rayburn
Heels On Wheels, LLC
615-585-6643
Most Recent Post: 01/24 01:59 by Anonymous [ Views:: 236 ]
Riding Smithville to Silver Point - great ride ALMOST!
Sunday, September 13 2009 @ 07:02 CDT Contributed by: patclem
Spent the weekend in Smithville celebrating Duke's birthday. As many times as I've been to Smithville, I've always wanted to ride from town out to Silver Point and back via SR56. So, I did it this weekend and I don't know why I haven't ridden it yet!
TN SR56 zig zags north-south through Tennessee. The section I rode is from Smithville to Silver Point, which is a exit on I40, BLOS is probably a C, wide shoulders, very curvy, 55mph speed limit, moderate traffic. The road is pretty much flat from Smithville to the descent to Hurricane Bridge then a long ascent to small up-and-down. About 16 miles one way to Silver Point, there's a picnic table by the Rose Garden Meat-n-three for a rest stop. Only complaint is the driveways crossing the shoulder on 56 are humped, so each driveway has a bump to cross. No rumble strips yet.
What a great ride, almost! As the sun was setting, I turned around, completed the very fast descent back towards Hurricane Bridge. My bike computer was removed, but I looked over and a passenger in a car waved at me, not passing me! When I reached the bottom of the descent, I stopped on the bridge and enjoyed the view. You really can't do this in a car. It might even be illegal. I realized again that being out on my bike and experiencing something like this is really what makes me happy. But the ride wasn't perfect...
After ascending teh 2.5 mile gradual climb from Hurricane Bridge, I continued on with little incident. I was cruising along, about to reach Smithville, taking the middle of a very wide shoulder, a SUV swerved, crossing over the white line into the shoulder and blew its horn, barely missing me. Of course the driver was harrassing me, but he didn't realize that he had put me in serious danger. I thought I saw where he had turned off. I made a few passes up and down some roads but luckily I never found him. With this kind of behavior, we have some advocacy work to do around Smithville.
Anyhow, it was a great ride regardless of the a$$hole, and I hope more folks will give it a shot as a simple but challenging ride while visiting the area. Donna and I left Smithville by car this morning and scouted some backroads southwest of Smithville, which should make for a beautiful loop with Snows Hill mixed in. I'll give it a shot and post a report next time I'm over there.
Most Recent Post: 09/20 02:49 by Anonymous [ Views:: 277 ]
Disappointment Over Tennessee Safe Passing
Monday, August 03 2009 @ 05:50 CDT Contributed by: patclem
This morning, someone posted a link to the HBC list. It's more or less an article, written by police officer Alex Teach, making a joke out of David Meek, a prominent bicyclist in Chattanooga who was run down by a truck. What a horrible thing - a police officer, sworn to protect and serve, with an attitude of neglect towards one class of road users - the bicycle driver. I always wondered why the police never wrote a ticket. I wondered why the Grand Jury failed to press charges against the driver, but later found out it was because of testimony from the investigating officer. I was confused why the justice system failed David until I read.
More recently, in Greeneville, TN, Jay Westbrook and a friend were riding along on a shoulder on the outside of a curve, and a Comcast truck swerved towards them, the passenger mirror hitting Jay, resulting in a helicopter ride to a trauma unit, a long stay in the hospital, and at least 8 weeks laying on his back in bed recovering. No ticket was issued.
Upon reflecting on David Meek and Jay Westbrook accidents, then factoring in Officer Teach's piece of work, and the consistent failure for our law enforcement and justice system to find fault, I realize the following: the Jeff Roth and Brian Brown Bicycle Protection Act of 2007 is either unenforceable, or police officers are untrained or apathetic towards protecting bicycle drivers.
Shannon Hornsby and I, shortly after the law was passed and went into effect, developed the tennessee3feet.org website, posters and campaign to educate bicycle and motor vehicle drivers of the law. Sharp Emmons developed the logo. Ivan Kansky developed the poster and background for the site. We were so happy that we finally had a law that protected bicyclists. But we understood that it would probably only be part of a incident where a bicycle driver was swiped by a motor vehicle. Man were we wrong. And I sit disappointed.
I call to have the safe passing law revoked and for bicycle drivers to be treated like motor vehicle drivers.
I call Tennesseeans to educate and become educated, that bicycle drivers are allowed and belong on the road.
I call for motor vehicle drivers to expect bicycle traffic.
I call for survivors of those killed, or those who survived their encounter with a motor vehicle while driving their bicycles to seek justice, either through criminal law or through civil law.
I call for bicycle drivers to ride defensively and courteously.
I call for bicycle drivers to continue to ride on roads that they're legally allowed to ride on.
I call for police officers and local governments to enforce laws equally between bicycles and motor vehicles.
I call for Tennessee to declare in law that bicycles are valid users of the roadway and should be treated as such.
I call for Alex Teach to be assigned to Chattanooga Bike Patrol, or teach bicycle safety and law for the remainder of his career.
More information that should be of interest if you've made it this far. Alex Teach's response after realizing that his job as a police officer is in jeopardy. He doesn't seem to want to learn the error in his ways.
Finally, on August 8, a group of concerned bicyclists (including myself) from across the state is convening in Nashville to form a statewide advocacy organization for walking and biking. This will hopefully be a catalyst to bring positive change in the environment we're currently dealing with. www.bikewalktn.org I'm sure we'll be talking to Kendell Poole and Mike Browning from TDOS about his suggestions to John Baker.
PS - I hope you didn't stumble upon my website after I was run over by a motor vehicle driver while I was legally driving my bicycle.
Most Recent Post: 12/13 07:32 by Anonymous [ Views:: 415 ]
Safe Bike Route for HWEN to Green Hills Mall Area
Tuesday, July 14 2009 @ 07:27 CDT Contributed by: patclem
I had a discussion with a non-bicycling friend several weeks ago about bicycling, Nashville bike facilities, and the feasibility of bicycling for something other than exercise. She was adamant that bicycles are impractical, stopping short of "bicycles shouldn't be on the road." And there are plenty of greenways and bike lanes that bicyclists should stick to, and stay off her roads. Interestingly, her husband, a former bicyclist, seemed to agree with her. At first I was furious. Then it dawned on me that this is the attitude that bicycling advocates have to overcome, and Tennesseans have to overcome to bring the state out of the bottom of every state rankings list. Anyhow, so I'm going to work on a series of ways Nashvillians can get from place to place, at least around the Hillsboro West End area as either a start or a finish area.
It's a shame to have a high population density in the area, and to have a road like Hillsboro Road that is so bicycle and pedestrian challenged. At the time of this writing, the road is under construction to be repaved and restriped to include a turn lane down the middle. The project is not including any bike/ped facilities whatsoever.
The graphic below shows a way to get safely from 23rd and Woodmont to the Green Hills Mall area, avoiding Hillsboro Road entirely.
Take Woodmont (with bike lanes from Harding Rd to Woodmont) east towards Hillsboro Road.
Just before the light, take a right into the church parking lot. Follow the parking lot parallel to Hillsboro Rd towards the mall.
Approaching Cavalry Church, there's a grass area separating the two churches. Get off and walk across the grass. Continue towards the mall.
There's a path between Cavalry and the Krystal parking lot.
From there, you become more "sidewalk friendly" and you should be able to safely navigate to anywhere in Green Hills. Suggestions? The two churches could install a sidewalk between the parking lots, allowing neighborhood pedestrians and bicyclists to safely connect. They could go as far as painting bicycle symbols to guide cyclists through the parking lots.
23rd and Woodmont is easy to get to from Natchez Trace, Woodlawn, Bowling, Hillsboro Village. An alternative route to the mall is to use Belmont, then cut down on Glen Echo.
One last note, I'm a pretty avid bicyclist. But since I first started riding, I've never seen a hill so steep I couldn't walk.
I guess readers can see that I've gotten pretty big into photography. It's another good way to combine my favorite sports and activities with yet another challenge. I've carried my DSLR across Iowa on my bike in my handlebar bag. I've hiked miles deep into Walls of Jericho with all my lenses and my full size tripod (what was I thinking on that one?) I have a waterproof case so I can take it canoeing or kayaking. 
