DLTK's Blog: Travel Posts
Crafts for Kids and Family Travel
We are a family of four with a passion for crafts and travelling. My mom, the L in DLTK, started this website when my sister and I were very young and it has grown since... just like us! We started writing these blog posts so that we could connect with all of you more personally—share our stories, our favourite crafts, our love for holidays and family traditions, and our passion for travelling.
Kananaskis: Ha Ling Peak Trail + Hiking Guide
POSTED ON AUGUST 5, 2021 BY TASHA
As summer starts to wane and while the weather stays hot, I’ve been doing a lot of early morning hikes. Since I am visiting friends and family in Calgary, Alberta this year, morning hikes with them are a great way to beat the heat and the crowds of Kananaskis in the summer! Kaitlyn and I went to Middle Lake with [...]
Grassi Lake Trail Guide in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
POSTED ON JULY 24, 2021 BY TASHA
If you live near or are planning a trip to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, you MUST check out the super quick and easy hike at Grassi Lake Trail! Let me tell you: Grassi Lake Trail is the perfect hike for beginners, families, and those of us who just want a quick-and-easy day in the mountains with loved ones [...]
Tombstone Lakes in Kananaskis Country
POSTED ON AUG 30, 2020 BY TASHA
As summer comes to an end, I wanted to share a fond memory! Last summer, my sister and I went on a short overnight backcountry camping trip + hike. Callum and Griffin joined us, and we all [...]
Bruce Trail: Bruce Peninsula National Park
POSTED ON JULY 15, 2020 BY TASHA
If you are planning a (future) vacation to or around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I 10/10 would recommend adding Bruce Peninsula National Park to your list. The drive is 3-4 hours one way, depending on where you [...]
Bruce Trail: Chedoke Radial Trail
POSTED ON JUNE 28, 2020 BY TASHA
Near our home, we have access to an expansive waterfall chain. This large set of waterfalls is in Hamilton and is an offshoot of the well-known Bruce Trail in Ontario! Along this waterfall chain, hikers set out to [...]
Packing for Chedoke Falls
POSTED ON May 15, 2020 BY TASHA
This week, my Instagram feed crossed over to the daily headlines: social media "influencers" have come under fire for the packing up and leaving major city centers during the 2020 pandemic [...]
Happy Doing Nothing
POSTED ON September 25, 2019 BY LEANNE
We opened the door to the sound of Coltrane finishing one of his classic jazz tunes, quickly followed by an upbeat number by Abba. "Wow," Darren gasped...
A Petrified Forest and a Traumatized Husband
POSTED ON August 31, 2019 BY LEANNE
"Ouch," I moaned quietly, gingerly pushing my glasses back onto the bridge of my nose. I decided to give myself a few more seconds lying facedown on the limestone path to assess my condition before trying to get up....
Packing for a Day Hike
POSTED ON August 20, 2019 BY KAITLYN
I am a massive fan of spending time in the outdoors! My partner and I try to go for at least one dayhike or backpacking trip per weekend in the summer. There are a lot of reasons we love hiking:
– spending time together helps us feel more connected
– exploring the outdoors helps us appreciate and respect the world that we live on...
More Little Things (like coffee)
POSTED ON August 20, 2019 BY LEANNE
"Ackk!" I squealed, bolting upright in my seat as Darren swerved the wheel quickly to the right. "What are you!?...eep, lane!" I scolded and he pulled the car back into the left lane.
"Sorry," he blushed, "but I found one...look there!!"
The Little Things
POSTED ON July 12, 2019 BY LEANNE
"This is AWESOME," Darren exclaimed happily.
I giggled at him for the fifth time since we’d pulled into the huge parking lot an hour earlier.
"No seriously," he scolded, grinning cheerfully, "this is the best thing we’ve done all trip!"
Australian Animals and the Hume Highway
POSTED ON June 26, 2019 BY LEANNE
"It was a wombat," I announced, proud of my research.
"A wom-what?" Darren laughed.
"A wombat, you goof. They’re grey and look like they have a big bear head kind of, and they have pouches like kangaroos but their pouches are backwards so they don’t dig dirt onto their babies heads."
LANE!
POSTED ON June 16, 2019 BY LEANNE
"Ohhhh, lane honey. Lane!" I exclaimed in as calm a voice as I could.
Darren glowered at the narrow road ahead and clenched his jaw, "I AM in my lane. If I move over any more, we’ll be hit by oncoming cars."
"Honestly, you aren’t. Your brain is tricking you."
Welcome to Australia
POSTED ON May 21, 2019 BY LEANNE
I don’t know, really...but in photos, the Sydney Opera House always seemed huge to me and while the architecture is certainly unique I realized that once again I’ve been fooled by photography..
Exploring Tide Pools
POSTED ON May 4, 2019 BY LEANNE
"Oh oh oh!" I gasped out, pointing and backing away from the pool of water in front of me. Darren was backing up too so I knew he’d seen it. "That…" he said in a voice slightly higher pitched than normal, "is an eel."...
My Thoughts About Air Tahiti
POSTED ON April 22, 2019 BY LEANNE
I sipped my diet coke while watching a fellow passenger try to shoo a crab out of the baggage claim area. His wife cheered him on as he finally herded the annoyed crustacean back into the ocean. Just another day at the airport in French Polynesia...
A Tale of One Bungalow
POSTED ON April 13, 2019 BY LEANNE
I woke up this morning with Charles Dickens famous opening line in my head:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
That line accurately describes a lot of things in life, I think — parenthood, career, marriage — and, for me, it accurately describes overwater bungalows in French Polynesia. Lol. Here’s my tale...
One Night in Paradise...
POSTED ON April 7, 2019 BY LEANNE
I giggled nervously at Darren as he stared wide eyed out the window of our overwater bungalow into the blackness outside. Furniture rattled around the deck, illuminated briefly by flashes of lightning...
How Our Free nights in Paradise Went
POSTED ON April 5, 2019 BY LEANNE
So Darren and I are on a trip that we’ve been dreaming about for 25 years. The girls are happily in university and we’re officially “empty nesters” trying to reconnect with each other and adapt to life without the titles of “mommy and daddy”. It’s a bit weird! ...
Choosing a Hotel Room
POSTED ON April 1, 2019 BY LEANNE
When we travelled with the kids we tended to spend a bit more on hotel rooms. Family suites were a favourite choice. Or something with a little balcony that we could sit out on after we settled the girls in bed. Or an RV.Now that we’re travelling as just the two of us, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much cheaper it is.....
Have you ever been to LA?
POSTED ON March 12, 2019 BY LEANNE
Los Angeles is one of those places that we’ve passed through or stayed near many times but never really visited. Ask just about anyone from Western Canada, “Have you been to LA?” and the answer will either be, “Does Disneyland count?” or “Well… I’ve been to the airport!”...
I Miss Leonard Nimoy
POSTED ON March 10, 2019 BY LEANNE
Early in our relationship, Darren discovered that despite the odds and, perhaps his best intentions, he had unexpectedly become friends with a geek. He was, is and always will be… athletic...But I knew the difference between a Klingon and a Cylon...
Hurray for Hollywood Spiderman!
POSTED ON March 6, 2019 BY LEANNE
We...headed off on the twenty minute walk to The Chinese Theater (“TCL”). All along the way were the stars on Hollywood Boulevard. We enjoyed chatting about which ones we each recognized, occasionally stopping to take a photo...
Hooray for Hollywood?
POSTED ON February 19, 2019 BY LEANNE
I am a Darren fan, but I’m not really a sports fan. I’m always thrilled to join him at games when we get the chance to go ... and he’s always kind enough to ask, “what do you feel like doing now?” when the game is over. With my preferences in mind, we spent the next two nights at the Kimpton Everly in Hollywood.
Sports Fans and the Women Who Love Them
POSTED ON February 17, 2019 BY LEANNE
I am in love with a man who loves sports. I knew that when I married him and I’m grateful that Darren’s idea of a “wild night” is when a hockey game goes into overtime...
Twenty Five Years of Dreaming
POSTED ON February 15, 2019 BY LEANNE
I still remember many “getting to know you” conversations that touched on the topic of travel....So I asked him, “if you were going to fly somewhere exotic where would you go?” I was surprised how quickly he answered, “Australia!”...
Calgary to the Athabasca Glacier Tour
POSTED ON October 18, 2018 BY LEANNE
I love driving into the mountains on the first frosty day of the year. It’s like living in a black and white movie. The sky is grey, the ground is white and all of the evergreens look black. [...]
Bow Lake and Bow Glacier Falls Trail
POSTED ON October 13, 2018 BY LEANNE
Bow Glacier Falls Trail isn’t one of my top five hikes for families but it’s pretty
darn close. What I love most about it is that it’s beautiful and photo worthy from the moment you set foot
on it so you can spend anywhere from ten gorgeous minutes to ten beautiful hours exploring it [...]
Peyto Lake
POSTED ON October 3, 2018 BY LEANNE
Nope, that photo isn’t edited. Peyto Lake really looks like that even on an unusually overcast, snowy day in September (we’d come out expecting a sunny autumn day and ended up in a winter wonderland instead!) Peyto Lake is considered one of the most beautiful views on the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada [...]
Hiking Grotto Canyon
POSTED ON September 17, 2018 BY LEANNE
For anyone coming with a family for the first time to the Calgary/Banff area, one of the top five hikes (for novice and experienced hikers of all ages) that I would recommend is Grotto Canyon. It’s about 10 minutes east of Canmore on highway 1A so you don’t need a national park pass [...]
Reconnecting at Lake O'Hara
POSTED ON August 8, 2018 BY LEANNE
I’m sitting on the porch of a little log cabin watching trout splash up out of the water to catch bugs for dinner. The emerald blue water is like glass right now, reflecting the surrounding mountains and tall, green fir trees perfectly…
Hiking the Loop Brook Trail
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 26, 2015 BY LEANNE
The Loop Brook Trail in Glacier Park, British Columbia (BC) is the perfect type of trail for my husband Darren and I. It’s a beautiful, forest walk (which I love) that is a pleasant challenge in parts without ever feeling dangerous. It’s also an interpretive walk with frequent signs detailing Canadian and CPR railway history […]
Invasion of the… flowers!?
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 14, 2015 BY LEANNE
When we were in Scotland, Darren and I were pleasantly surprised by how lovely the countryside was. It was pristine, beautiful and litter free. So, as we approached Torridon (near the coast in the north) we were surprised to see plumes of inky, black smoke rising up in the distance. What could that be about, […]
Parenting Through Jet Lag
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 1, 2015 BY LEANNE
Jet lag is a very real condition and, sadly, there is no magic cure. For many people (myself included) jet lag is also more than ‘just feeling a bit tired’—the biggest symptom I get is actually tummy troubles whereas my husband and kids tend to get tired, headachy feelings. Darren, especially, gets quite […]
Touring Halifax, Nova Scotia
POSTED ON OCTOBER 25, 2015 BY LEANNE
The port city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada has been a vacation destination for our family for a number of year’s now. Our favourite time to visit is late September to early October when (most years) the weather is still warm and the autumn leaves are putting on their display of golds and reds. Halifax […]
Hiking the Kicking Horse to Amiskwi Trail
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 BY LEANNE
Kicking Horse to Amiskwi Trail in Yoho National Park — BC, Canada Length of our walk: two hours, including time for a simple picnic and photos Distance of our walk: 3.4 kms (return) for the Kicking Horse/Amiskwi trail plus another 1/2 km on the Emerald River trail for a total of about 4 km walked. […]
Parenting Thoughts: Moraine Lake
POSTED ON JULY 25, 2015 BY LEANNE
Darren and I sat on the covered porch at Moraine Lake Lodge, sipping tea while we watched hikers scramble for cover from a sudden downpour. It had been a lovely day in the wilderness, but I was suddenly struck by how many people there were out here with us! Moraine Lake is a gorgeous glacier […]
Hot Air Ballooning in Arizona
POSTED ON MAY 29, 2015 BY LEANNE
Another Family Travel Adventure with Kids. Darren, Kaitlyn and I went hot air ballooning and we had a WONDERFUL time. All of us would definitely go again. And we all agreed that we wouldn’t recommend it for young children (I’ll get to that in a bit). The Hot Air Ballooning Experience We went first thing […]
D and K Get Detained!
POSTED ON MAY 12, 2015 BY LEANNE
Another Travel Adventure with Kids Background: Darren and I swapped days this year just for kicks—we celebrated Father’s Day on Mother’s Day and we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day in June. It just worked out better to treat dad in May plus it was a fun and silly thing to do. So for “Dad’s […]
Multigenerational Travel
POSTED ON MAY 7, 2015 BY LEANNE
Welcome to the sandwich generation! No, Darren and I are not PB&J addicts—we’re middle aged parents with dependent children and grandparents who need a little of our help too. Our exposure to this new type of lifestyle has just begun. It started when Darren’s dad passed away a little under a decade ago. […]
Setting Travel Expectations
POSTED ON APRIL 26, 2015 BY LEANNE
The first time I learned the importance of reasonable travel expectations. Tasha, age 5 and Kaitlyn, age 1 On the first and worst trip to Disneyland that we ever took as a family Darren and I pulled the typical young parent stunt of surprising everyone with a gift of a trip to the “Happiest Place […]
Dog–Sledding in Canmore, Alberta
POSTED ON FEBRUARY 17, 2015 BY LEANNE
(not so) Extreme Travel Adventures with Kids Hi everyone, We just got back from dog–sledding and I decided that I can’t wait to share the experience with all of you. It was AWESOME!! After our fun trip dog–sledding as a family, I was inspired to add a Siberian Husky paper craft to the website. About […]
Travel: Mexico
POSTED ON JANUARY 3, 2014 BY KAITLYN
It has been a few weeks since my mom or I have made a blog post and there is a perfect explanation for this; we were in Mexico! It was a wonderful family Christmas and a nice warm one at that, back home in Canada it is MUCH colder. We visited El Arco, which is a […]
Travel: Hawaii
POSTED ON OCTOBER 11, 2013 BY KAITLYN
My parents really enjoy Hawaii and we go quite often! When I was little my grandparents used to rent a condo there and we would spend a week or two having a blast in Hawaii! The luau’s were great: eating food, dancing, wearing leis, and basking in the aloha spirit! My parents even got married in Hawaii, […]
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