Gowin Family Blog

Who’d have guessed another American would win the Tour de France the year following Lance Armstrong’s retirement? Floyd Landis, a former teammate of Armstrong’s, won in what was evidently a very exciting match this year. I didn’t watch much this year, mostly because Armstrong was out. So now the big question: can Landis do it again?

Image from OLNTV.com

UPDATE: Well, in case you’ve missed it, Landis has tested positive for an elevated testosterone level. On the face of it, then, it looks like he might be guilty of doping, a huge no-no in professional cycling. Thirteen riders were dismissed before the Tour even started this year following a doping scandal. There’s some commentary on the matter here. A second sample will be tested to determine Landis’ fate. Stay tuned…

UPDATE #2: Turns out the “B” sample is positive.  Rats.  Floyd’s been fired from his team and stripped of his TdF title.  This is bad.

We made our semi-annual pilgrimage to Oklahoma to visit Suzanne’s people last week. We stayed with her mom and step-dad in Bartlesville, located an hour-ish north of Tulsa. We saw uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends–all those folks you need to see when make such a trip.

I’ve posted some photos over in the smugmug gallery. If she gets some time, Suzanne may throw up a post detailing our Oklahoma doings. Until then, enjoy the pictures.

I’ve been using Yahoo! Maps and Mapquest for most of my mapping needs to date. A few weeks ago, I discovered Google Maps. It features both street-level maps as well as satellite images. The search feature is classic Google: plug in an address or a location (for example, “sears tower“) and you’re golden. Google Maps is my new favorite map tool. I know this isn’t new news but it’s cool nonetheless.