The Sausage Pad Lays Siege to St. Joseph, Pt. I

Packed to the hilt for another go-round with the Sausage Pad. . .

It had been a long, long time since the Sausage Pad had last hung out - a quick weekend trip down to Kalamazoo at the beginning of December, if you'll recall.  We can't get together very much these days due to conflicting works schedules, and summers are even worse because everyone has plans with their own individual families. 

Picking out a movie for the 3 1/2-hour ride.

This is why Zack and Damon and their respective clans have never accompanied on any of our Michigan camping trips with Smitty and Rita over the years (to Traverse City in 2016, to Mackinaw in 2017, and to Tahquamenon Falls in 2018.)

Well, this summer we were all adamant about getting together and doing something a little more ambitious than, say, bar-hopping around Kalamazoo for a weekend pretending we're back in our '20s. 

We had initially decided to hit up Mammoth Caves, down in Kentucky, and were looking into booking a large house - very much like what we had when we visited Gatlinburg back in 2014 - through Airbnb.  The caves offered enough outdoor activities (hiking, cave exploring, etc.) for the more adventurous of us, and the house provided plenty of space for hanging out, grilling, and relaxing for the homebodies.

Camera bag, personal cooler, uke.  At the expense of some leg room.

Unfortunately, dude to Covid-19 ('cause yes, that's still a thing), most houses we looked at in the area weren't renting out to visitors, or else didn't have a refund policy worth a damn.  After weeks of trying to find suitable lodging in the area, and with coronavirus cases spiking in the South over the last couple weeks, we decided to throw in the towel and find somewhere to camp in Michigan instead.

Happy camper.

Rita and Kris, once again, took the reins with planning and reserving adequate camping accommodations (God knows us guys couldn't plan our way out of a wet paper bag.)  After a few days, they found four available sites at a KOA Campground in St. Joseph, southwest of Kalamazoo, close to Lake Michigan, and pounced on it. 

A fraction of the price of renting a house in Kentucky, closer to home, and easier to plan out.  Sure, there were no caves on hand to check out, but we did have close access to the lake.  It was a trade-off we were willing to live with.

What follows, dear readers, is a run-down of our five-day, four-night stint in the south of Michigan, featuring the Sausage Pad, its families, and a shit-load of pictures and video.

Enjoy. . .

You can never pack enough hats for a camping trip.

Three and a half hours - and a Harry Potter movie - later, we arrived at the KOA in St. Joseph. 

I neglected to take any pictures during the set-up process - we were all pretty busy - and, since no one else bothers to take pictures like that, you don't have any.  Smitty and Rita had arrived the previous evening (because, had they waited for Smitty to wake up, they would've rolled in at night), and Damon arrive around 1pm.  The Smiths and Houghs rolled in around 3pm, minutes apart, and spent a couple hours throwing up their respective family tents.

Smitty and Rita's tent (on the left) and Damon and Carrie's (on the right) formed a perimeter on our southern side (we once again opted for a communal hang out space in the middle.)

The food tent.  About five coolers, seven food totes/boxes, two mini-fridges, and a crap-ton of lights.

Zack and his kid continue setting up their stuff.  We threw up a couple canopies (as seen in the background) to use for eating, playing games, etc. - which ran along our northern border.

Damon's son, Luke.

. . . and his daughter.

The Houghs' tent (ours and the Smith tent comprised our western edge.)

We tent-camp like badasses.

The girls threw up room dividers for privacy.  Whatever makes their co-habitation easier. . .

Smitty, the Cannonball, and Rita, chilling around the not-yet-made campfire after setting up all the crap.

Couldn't resist taking a pic of Zack - a proud Farwellian - with our camping tote, emblazoned with my alma mater.

A similarly-sized collection of tents was right to the north of us, and they had an insane amount of pink flamingo decor everywhere.  Not sure why, exactly.  But at least they were a decent group.

While us guys stayed back and caught up with one another over some beers, the wives took the kids a short drive down the road to an easy-access beach on Lake Michigan.  They wanted to get a sunset swim in before the day ended.

A swimsuit and a coat.  That's how the kid rolls.

Sunset on Lake Michigan.

Abby and her beach hair.

Houghs in a lake.

Back at camp, at the close of the evening.

Stay tuned, folks. . .

- Brian