TribTown

When my sister and I planned our weekend camping trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, we didn't know it was elk mating season.

And when other tourists pulled off the road every time they spotted an elk, we drove on.

But when we finally got a campsite in the park (turns out reservations are more than just a recommendation), we saw more elk than we ever wanted to. 

As we settled in for our nightly campfire, we could hear the bulls bugling all around the campground. If a loon and an elephant breeded, it might sound like a bull bugling. They make the rutting call to round up the cows. You can hear what they sound like at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk. Just scroll down to the audio on the right-hand side of the page.

Every few minutes, we could here a bull bugle in the meadow next to our campsite. Each time, he sounded closer and closer.

We moved the campfire to our neighbors' site.

Later that evening we heard a bugle so loud it had to be near. Flashlights in hand, we spotted six sets of eyes just a few yards from our campsite. A bull and his harem of cows had bedded down for the night.

They didn't seem to take much notice of us, but it took a while for us to fall asleep in the tent near such large animals.

In the wee hours of the morning, I woke up to my sister shining a flashlight in my eyes.

"I have to go out there with all those elk," she said as she peered through the edge of the tent door at half a dozen elk grazing in our campsite.

She put her bathroom run off to wait for the elk to leave, but they never did. And when she couldn't wait any longer, she tip-toed past the elk, which were now just a few feet away. She made it back to the tent safely and in the morning the elk were gone.

The ranger assigned our campsite and I'm pretty sure he knew the elk slept there.

When my sister called me and asked me to guess what was found in the small lake we grew up on in Minnesota, my first guess was a dead body. Maybe even a giant snapping turtle.

After a woman reported strange waves in the middle of the lake, the sheriff's department sent a dive team to check it out. A UFO investigator showed up at the search, too. The dive team pulled out a large object the size of a washing machine. Read more about in the news report:http://kstp.com/news/stories/s1097163.shtml 

My sister swears that, at age 16, she and a neighbor girl saw lights circling way out in the middle of the lake one night. No boats. No planes.

The UFO investigator determined that a UFO didn't crash into the lake, but it's still kinda cool that of all the lakes in Minnesota, our lake made the news.  

Although, I still think that the scariest things in Lake Sylvan are the snapping turtles.

Senior Patient Advocates in Casper will hold two workshops on understanding Medicare in June.

People can learn the basics of Medicare during Medicare 101 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 24. The workshop covers what Medicare is, who qualifies, what it cover and how to get the most out of Medicare benefits.

Turning 65: New to Medicare will be 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 30. It will give people the information they need to understand the maze of Medicare options so they can make informed choices. People can learn strategies to plan for retirement, ensure a spouse has health coverage, and avoid late enrollment penalties. The cost of coverage, such as prescription drug benefits, will also be discussed.

Each workshop costs $50 per person or $75 for two people. Registration is required. Call Senior Patient Advocates at 307-472-1770 to register or for more information.

Senior Patient Advocates provides provides seniors and those with Medicare qualified disabilities the ability to access and understand health care systems. To learn more, go to http://www.spadvocates.com/.

It's easy to get caught up in life's everyday challenges. Between work, family and social obligations, there's not much time left just for you.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health hopes to change that during the 10th annual National Women's Health Week May 10 - 16. The goal is to empower women to make their health a top priority, according to their Web site, http://www.womenshealth.gov/.

If you're in the Star Valley area, check out the Women's Health Education Luncheon 1 p.m. Friday, May 15 at Star Valley Medical Center in Afton. Lincoln County Public Health, High Country Counseling, Turning Point and others will present information on women's health at this free event. For more information, contact Tanya Merritt at 307-885-5887 or tmerritt@svmcwy.org.

Here are some steps you can take to improve your physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health:

• Get at least 2 ½ hours of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
• Eat a nutritious diet.
• Visit a health care professional for regular checkups and preventive screenings.
• Avoid risky behaviors, like smoking or not wearing a seatbelt.
• Pay attention to mental health. Get enough sleep and manage your stress.

This week I dipped into the sunscreen for the first time this year. I have sensitive skin and always had difficulty finding sunscreen that didn't irratate it. After years of trial and error, I determined that the chemicals in sunscreen cause my skin to break out. Last summer while writing an article for Live Well Wyoming, Dr. Rowan Tichenor of Casper Dermatology Clinic told me about Blue Lizzard Australian Sun Screen.

Instead of chemicals like avobenzone, Blue Lizzard Sun Screen contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Together, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide reflect the sun and provide full-spectrum coverage.

I ordered a gallon of the sun screen for sensitive skin last summer. It wasn't cheap, but it was well worth it. I have never been happier with a sun screen: It's not greasy, it blends well and doesn't cause  breakouts. The best part is, unlike sunscreens containing chemical ingredients, Blue Lizzard Sun Screen never goes bad.

I recommend trying it if you have sensitive skin, too.

When a co-worker asked if I wanted to play rec basketball on the Star-Tribune team, I said yes. It was a pretty bold move, considering I hadn't even touched a basketball in more than 10 years!

But, I was on the team. It was frustrating at first: it turned out that the hours and hours of my childhood spent playing around the world in our driveway did not translate to the court. After grilling other players about the rules and a bit of practicing, I was starting to get the hang of it. They even let me play a few games and the more I played, the more fun it was! I couldn't score a basket during play to save my life, but I was scrappy and managed to make a few good plays.

Monday, we won the championship game, scoring four points in the last three minutes to win the game. I only played two minutes, but that's OK. I tried something new, set my mind on learning the game, and I succeeded.