The Hall Family Travels Blog

After the whirlwind of our unexpected detour through five states in two weeks for our refrigerator repair, arriving in South Dakota felt like we’d finally be back on track and settling into a more normal rhythm. None of us had been to South Dakota before (with exception to Dustin as a child), and we imagined spending our days exploring the city, wandering through wilderness parks, and hiking new trails.

Instead, South Dakota welcomed us with an unprecedented summer heat wave.

We arrived at Jellystone Park in Sioux Falls at the end of July and learned from the staff that we’d just missed a major windstorm and thunderstorm the day before. At the time, we were disappointed we’d missed all the excitement. A few days later, after enduring temperatures in the upper 90s, we found ourselves wishing another storm would roll through just to cool things off.

Despite the heat, we were excited to experience our first Jellystone Park. This one had everything a family with young kids could hope for: a pool with splash features, a giant jump pillow the boys couldn’t get enough of, mini golf, gaga ball, cornhole, and activities happening throughout the day. It was obvious this campground was designed with families in mind, and we appreciated having so much to do without ever leaving the park.

Our week there also made us realize how spoiled we’d been by the weather we’d enjoyed up to that point on our trip. The air conditioner ran nearly nonstop just to keep the trailer at 74 degrees. Overnight temperatures only dipped to around 72, and by 8:00 each morning it was already 80 degrees and climbing. The heat felt heavy, draining our energy before the day had even really begun.

Not Everyday will be an Adventure

I think it’s natural to feel like you need to make the most of every stop when you’re on vacation or visiting somewhere new. There’s an unspoken expectation to maximize every day—to see all the sights, explore all the trails, and squeeze as much as possible out of your time there. We definitely felt that way at the start of our full-time RV adventure, and if I’m being honest, we still catch ourselves feeling that pressure sometimes.

But for us, this isn’t just a vacation—it’s a lifestyle change. This trip helped remind us that not every day is going to be an adventure. Some days will be boring. Some days will be too hot or too cold to go exploring. Some days are simply going to look like a normal day at home.

And that’s exactly what this stop became for us—a week that looked a lot more like everyday life than a vacation. And surprisingly, that was okay.

There were places we had planned to explore around Sioux Falls, but eventually our question changed. Instead of asking, “How much can we see while we’re here?” we started asking, “What actually sounds enjoyable today?”

After all, we’re on this adventure not just to explore new places, but to spend time with each other on our own schedule and on our own terms.

Learning to Slow Down

It wasn’t the week of exploring we’d expected. Instead, it became a week of slowing down. While the weather kept us from venturing out as much as we’d planned, we still found plenty of ways to enjoy our time together—it just looked a little different than we had imagined.

We took advantage of the morning “low” of 80 degrees to get our walks in before the day heated up. After breakfast, we’d head down to the jump pillow and bounce as high as we could, laughing every time one of us got unexpectedly launched into the air from a perfectly timed double bounce. The boys never seemed to mind the heat quite as much as we did and could have spent hours out there.

Once our hearts couldn’t take any more bouncing, we’d wander over to the mini golf course right next door for a family competition. By the time we finished our last hole, we were usually sweaty and ready for a break, which made it the perfect time to head to the pool. The water was cold and refreshing and took the sting out of the hot summer day.

Since the peak heat didn’t arrive until the afternoon, we used that time to explore places where we could stay cool. One afternoon we wandered around the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls. We didn’t really need anything, but it was nice to simply walk around somewhere with air conditioning.

We also made our way to Falls Park, which ended up being one of the biggest surprises of our week. The park itself was one of the coolest places we had visited, with waterfalls flowing over pink quartzite rock, an amazing play structure, and a splash pad that was an especially welcome discovery on such a hot day.

By evening, the heat was still heavy, but with the sun finally going down, it became much more manageable. We spent our nights playing cornhole and watching fireflies dance through the grass around us.

Finding Adventure in the Ordinary

It wasn’t the adventure-filled week we’d imagined when we arrived in South Dakota, but we’re learning that full-time RV life isn’t about chasing adventure every single day. It’s about having the freedom to slow down, enjoy the ordinary moments, and let those days be enough. And this week, they were.