Category: Family Trips

This was another Mannino Family trip – this time to the Florida Keys. Most of the time was spent in Key Largo at a hotel/resort area. Visits were made to Key West and to the Florida Everglades. Carey was here part of the time. He had to fly back to PA early because of a flood in one of his rental properties.

This trip was to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. It was in the Pocono mountains of northern Pennsylvania during the fall foliage season. Spectacular sights from the air. Here is the original posting for the event:

October 15 thru 17 – 15th Annual Shawnee Fall Foliage Balloon Festival at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, Shawnee-on-Delaware. Honored with a prior listing in the ABA’s “Top 100 Events in North America,” the Shawnee Balloon Festival brings live music, exciting activities for all ages, and a kaleidoscope of color to the banks of the Delaware River. Hot air balloons will be launched throughout the three-day festival, and over ten types of rides will be offered: hot air balloon rides, tethered balloon rides, carnival rides, pony rides, a barrel ride, horse-drawn carriage rides, even helicopter rides! General entertainment to include Noah’s World Petting Zoo, trampolines, a hole-in-one contest on the golf course, wine and microbrew beer samplings, car shows, even pig racing!! Be sure to see the fireworks on Saturday night. A wide variety of crafters and merchandisers will display their wares and great food choices will be available. Shawnee Inn is located off I-80 exit 52, follow signs for two miles. For hotel packages and balloon ride reservations call 1-800-SHAWNEE (742-9633).

We visited Carl, Donna’s brother, who was living in Oregon at the time. Jan & Steve Penn also joined us. Carl took us on a hike; he took us to see various waterfalls in the area, and all of us went on a fishing trip to Washington state. The most memorable part of this trip was the fact that Carl’s van was stolen while it was sitting in front of his house.

This trip was the first trip we took Keith and Chris across the country to visit my family in Dallas & El Paso. We visited Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands NP, Elephant Butte Lake, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon (did a mule ride), Bryce Canyon, Zion, Pike’s Peak, Mesa Verde NP and the Indianapolis Speedway. We traveled in our Toyota Sienna van and stopped at inexpensive motels at each location.

We went here for Donna’s 40th birthday. We visited Hoover Dam and several other spots along the Las Vegas strip.

This was our first ski trip together as a married couple, and our first-time cross-country skiing. The lodge was great, and the food was wonderful, especially the oatmeal. Our truck battery died, and we had to have it jumped to make it home.

We drove from Pennsylvania, where we lived at this time, to Colonial Williamsburg to see the sights, including the historic Jamestown settlement.

This is the first trip Donna & I took together. We drove from Pennsylvania to Myrtle Beach to see one of their Christmas shows and to spend some time touring the area.