Ellis, KS, June 8-10, 2012

I wanted to see the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, KS, but the RV parks in the Hays area did not have good reviews on the RV Park Reviews website, so Bob found a small city park in Ellis, about 10 miles away, that had great reviews, so that is where we stayed. 

Water and electric (50 amp) for $15/night, this little gem is called Lakeside Campground.  Even with the huge trees, we were able to get online with our Wingard (TV) and Motosat (internet) satellites. 

We had more fun watching the flotilla of geese in front of the RV in the lake, usually late afternoon they would appear.

And, they would just hang out watching us.

Our weekend here coincided with Ellis’ Riverfest Celebration. First up was their parade.

Then a food court.  We had some great BBQ pork and beef sandwiches plus a funnel cake.

Then the car show including this 1956 Ford Crown Victoria sporting its best were among the 25 cars on display.  What you can’t see in the photo is the metallic purple flames on the trunk and rear fenders.

Sunday was my day to visit the Sternberg Museum of Natural History (Fort Hays State University).

All I can say is it was awesome.  They had a special display of the giant African dinosaurs.  They are different than the ones here in North America.

Below is a photo of the skull of a Nigersaurus.

Below is probably the most photographed fossil.  It is a fish within a fish.  The 14 foot Ziphactinus ate the 6 foot Gillicus and then died before digesting its final meal.

Below is a photo of this fossil in the field where it was cleaned.

“Above: The fossilized remains of these fish, especially skull fragments and vertebrae, are fairly common in the Smoky Hill Chalk. Sometimes, the skeletons are very complete, such as this famous fossil of a "fish-within-a-fish" excavated by George F. Sternberg in 1952 (George is on the far left in the picture). This specimen is about 13 feet long and is on permanent display in the Sternberg Museum in Hays, Kansas. The six foot long, 'last' meal' is a related species of ichthyodectid fish called Gillicus arcuatus.”

Here is a close-up of the fossil showing the smaller fish within.

No dinosaur museum would be complete with the obligatory T-Rex!

Tomorrow off to Concordia, KS.

For anyone travelling in Kansas, check out this website, Kansas RV & Camping.  We picked up a 40 page booklet which lists the RV parks where you can stay in Kansas, many of which are not listed anywhere else.  The booklet and the website list the same parks.  The booklet also has a map with the parks marked and some interesting points of interest in each area.