The Mrs. and I live on a acre of land (fenced) in rural north central Florida lakeside. We are both retired. We recently purchased a 5th wheel after maybe a 12 year hiatus from camping. We have several friends who RV/camp and their stories seduced us back.
I am retired military, an engineer and Human Resources director. My wife is a retired Dental Assistant. I try to maintain everything I own. 2 cars, a truck, a cabin cruiser, a 5th wheel, a lawn tractor, various power equipment, our home and property. I am very busy. I thought I had retired. I have a tool garage with a lifetime accumulation of tools. I am more than happy to lend you tools or "turn to" with you.
Yes. One elderly basset hound. Clyde is very friendly. We travel with him.
We took a 2 month trip, last year, to northern Michigan. We used Boohdockers Welcome whenever possible. The Blue Ridge Parkway is also great.
Melrose, Florida
Ford F-250 6.0L diesel, Keystone Cougar 5th wheel completely self contained.
Very glad Mabuhay were able to stop by on their way home. If you have the chance welcome these fine folks and Darby and Clyde. Always welcome back.
Mabuhay and their 2 pups stayed with us only 1 night on their way home. We did have a pleasant talk for about an hour and it was a shame that they had to move on the next day. We would have been happy to have them stay longer as they seemed like a very nice couple. We hope to visit them at their host location in the future.
We enjoyed having them, they are the type of guests everyone would like to have, kind & respectful people:-)
I enjoyed watching their two basset hounds they are a hoot!
We enjoyed having Hal and Cecile stay with us. We look forward to our next adventure when our paths cross again.
We had a nice time talking, and the bassett hounds are great slow moving entertainment. Have a good trip, and hope to see you again.
Easy to have around. Nice conversations and very good wine. Hope you make it back here on your return home. Darby and Clyde may need another grass break. Hope to see you soon.
You couldn’t ask for a more kind couple to visit you. If only everyone we meet in life were as kind and appreciative. How refreshing to meet people enjoying life away from home. Enjoyed their two companions as well.
May your journeys be blessed!
Sorry we missed you. Thanks for your kind reference. If your travels bring you this way again please do stop again.
Very kind and welcoming couple. Enjoyed evenings on the deck. There were nice bicycle trails near by. Hope to be back sometime soon.
Hal & Cecil could not have been better hosts. Hal tolerated our late arrival and we soon realized we had stumbled into something beautiful. Everyone should have a beachfront like this, nature, sunsets and a beautiful deck to enjoy it from. We couldn't believe how many trips we had had in common. Great stories shared. Clyde, the resident Giant Basset rules the roost. Great hosts. Thanks again.
Wonderful and generous hosts, we had a great time chatting with them on their veranda. The spot was peaceful and perfect, thanks again for your hospitality!
Oh what a great place to relax for 2 nights before our family meetup at Anastasia State Park, St. Augustine, Fl. We really enjoyed meeting this lovely couple, sharing RV and boondocking stories, and other travel experiences. We hope we can meet up again someday!
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Melrose, FL. Perfect view of the sunset from the veranda. Our hosts went out of their way to welcome us and help out any way they could. We hope to be in the area again and will surely look them up. Very nice couple!
We absolutely loved our stay with Hal and Cecile. Their home is on a secluded road right on a small lake. The views were amazing from their back veranda where we shared a bottle of wine, some of Hal’s delicious homemade salsa and wonderful conversation. Hal was so kind and helpful and so interesting to talk to. We would highly recommend staying with them and hope to cross paths in the future.
Cozy spot on a lake, good company.Who could ask for anything more. Able to obtain some water.
Enjoyed time on the veranda watching the sun go down. Would recommend this spot!
We loved being with our gracious hosts, so welcoming and friendly! We shared some time with them on their lovely veranda on the lake watching the incredible sunsets, a real treat especially to spend New Year’s Eve together. The conversation was flowing and fun! Clyde the basset hound was sweet company as well. We loved Melrose and hope to return again!
Beautiful property by the lake with egrets, and blue heron! I've never heard their sounds, and observed how they communicate jumping up and down like that. The sunsets are gorgeous here, and the hosts are quite kind. The property is gated, and my dog could walk freely. Thank you so much for blessing us!
Beautiful location on a small, quiet lake.
Host was nice and we enjoyed the conversation.
Lakeview and sunset were great from the veranda.
These are the most gracious hosts! So fun to share their sunset views in the evenings. A joyful stay. Great for day trips to St. Augustine area.
We enjoyed our stay with hosts loved sitting on the veranda and talking, sunset over lake and birds were great to watch.
we felt very welcome. will happily stay again next time we come to Fla.
Wonderful, helpful hosts and very hospitable! Quiet location right on the lake! Thanks for letting us stay wish we would have had a chance to mingle!
Our hosts were absolutely wonderful and made our first boondockers welcome stay more than we ever expected. They have a beautiful piece of property and a beautiful home that is unique and welcoming. Thank you again for sharing it with us!
We stayed last year and loved it so much we came back this year. A beautiful place with such acomdating host's. We had great conversation. As a plus there are some very interesting birds to see. Thank you for sharing your place with us.
What a beautiful location and warm and welcoming hosts. The sunset over the lake was spectacular. I only stayed one night with my newly adopted greyhound, who learned to the climb stairs to the veranda for the first time in his life. I hope to get back there someday. Thank you Hal and Cecile.
We enjoyed our stay at Melrose. Their place is quite and relaxing, it was just what we needed. The sunsets on the varanda were spectacular. Our 3 dogs loved the fenced in area and Right turn Clyde was sweet and gentle.
We would highly recommend this place to stay.
This was our first stay with BW. We loved it! Our hosts were very gracious and kind. Would love to stay again when we come back through.
These folks are wonderful and the site was wonderful. Most accommodating, intelligent, interesting and informative. AMAZING bike trails in the area... Sure hope to stay here again!
We had a great evening with our host . He and his wife are lovely people and the place was very easy to find, the access is also very easy. We were able to plug our 30 A and water .
These host are very helpful and generous.
We stayed here 3 nights here and loved it! This sweet couple allowed us to stay even during the coronavirus concerns getting more serious. My boys loved taking the kayak out every day to fish, it is a beautiful area! I was working a lot, I wish I could have spent more time with the hosts, but hopefully we will be passing through again and spend more time with them.
Had a absolutely awesome time. Loved our evening conversations and view. Hope to return in the future. Thank You for being great hosts.
What a great place ! Little paradise on earth. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets on the porch. Lots of birds including a pair of sandhill cranes with chicks. Quiet area for good night sleep. Our dog, Marvin, enjoyed the open space to run and play. Host is very generous and knowledgeable. Thank you. We'll stay more than 2 nights next time.
We had a very nice stay with Mabuhay! Having arrived on Saturday, we joined them for church on Sunday morning. We enjoyed good conversation over a couple of meals and loved watching the sunset with them over the lake from their veranda.A beautiful spot in a quiet area!
Thank you for your generous hospitality!
We will certainly stop by to visit again when our travels take us this way.
Our one day extended into five. Spent the evenings on the deck watching the sun set over the peaceful lake. Our hosts were most gracious and we had good conversations that often extended way after the sun had gone to sleep. We felt safe and the nights were quiet and we rate this Boondocker host as a 5/5. Highly recommended.
Our stay with Mabuhay was fantastic! Our hosts went above and beyond to make our experience
so enjoyable. We had beautiful sunsets on the veranda, great conversations, and excellent food!
We felt very welcomed by the lovely hosts and their two beautiful Basset hounds!
We look forward to our return visit with them! P.S. thank you for introducing us to the low-country
boil!
We highly recommend this BW. Mabuhay was very helpful upon our arrival, helping us to get settled. He provides free electricity and water as well. We really enjoyed talking to him and his wife. They even gave us a glimpse into their very interesting octagonal house.
We cannot thank Hal and Cecille enough for their kind hospitality. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting on their veranda last evening with them. We visited and got to know each other. They are just the sweetest couple. We had a beautiful quiet spot to park our 31' motorhome. Our only regret is that we couldn't stay longer. We hope to spend time with them again soon.
Personally I like staying in places that are open and expansive. This home wasn’t far off of a more developed community but it had a real spacious feel to it.
I had a short conversation with my host I wish we could’ve had more time to talk. Sky would’ve been dark if not for the moon but lots of stars out anyway. very quiet and peace peaceful
We had a short 1 night stopover at/with Mabuhay and really enjoyed our time there. We hope to get back that way and maybe spent a bit more time at this quiet serene location on the lake! Great hosts and we welcome them to stay with us at our BDW site if the ever make up to neck of the world!
A nice and safe place with nice peole. A beautiful view on a small lake. Generous people
Very quiet area super nice couple they fixed dinner for me it was delicious! What an amazing cook! They invited me to their back porch every night to watch the sunset over the lake. Got lots of hugs and would like to see them again one day.
Nice place, completely fenced with a locked electric gate. Hal helped us get our 32’ class A in and parked. We actually met Hal and his wife last Spring at another BW place in Michigan. They invited us to look them up the next time we were in Florida. They have two nice older Basset Hounds
Thank you guys so much . Very easy to find (especially with the paved road!) . Hal was helpful when we were setting up and even provided his set of blocks for us to use. Then they provided a lovely happy hour on the veranda complete with wine. We were only there for one night but hope to return and explore the area. Maybe the sand cranes will be there next time!
Mabuhay is the perfect getaway, Hal and Cecille are simply a joy to talk to.
We were welcomed as guests and left as friends!
The location is super quiet, and gorgeous views. We sat both nights on the veranda and enjoyed the glorious sunsets over the lake and spotting wildlife.
We both urge anyone that's passing to stop by and visit the friendliest and most welcoming people in Florida!
If you get the chance, Hal's pate and salsa are legendary!
We wanted to stay longer with this amazing couple, unfortunately our itinerary calls!
Thank you both so very much for your hospitality and friendship!
Our hosts were the perfect hosts for not only our first time boondocking, but our first time camping. They have a lovely property on a lake and invited us to watch the sunset over the lake with them. We were invited to hook into their water and electric and allowed us to use our Predator generator. Their Bassett hounds were very friendly to us. We were made to feel very welcomed.
Enjoyed our stay with two very nice people who went out of their way to make us comfortable . A beautiful place to see birds and other wildlife. Made new friends. Will be going back. Thank you!
Hal and Cecille are terrific hosts and incredible accommodating. We'll plan to see then 2X each year.
It was very nice to watch the sunset from the porch and talk about the days events with Hal , a kind considerate host thanks Hal for the security of your home hope to meet again .
We had a wonderful visit and stay with our host. We stayed two nights giving us time to visit St Augustine and then continue our journey. Both evenings we enjoyed seeing sunset over the lake and conversations with our great hosts
A big shout out and thank you to Fitz and his wife. We enjoyed our time at this lovely location. Friz’s and Tony shared lots of great stories about their adventures. We will be back to visit our new friends.
H and C were again very kind to us and we thoroughly enjoyed the conversations we had on their deck watching the sunsets. We will definitely return if we head back up this way. Thanks again folks :)
We had a great time here, excellent conversation, generous hosts, will return again!
We stayed here on our first night in Florida and now again on our last night. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with the hosts and their 2 dogs. From all the boondocking spots we stayed this one is definitely in the top 3!
Hal was an amazing host providing all the comforts, with beautiful sunsets!!!
A beautiful property on a lake, but what made our stay special, was the friendliness and gracious attitudes of our hosts and our small beagle enjoyed playing with Darley and Clydesdale, the resident Bassett Hounds. At sunset we relaxed on their raised back porch watching the sun set over the lake.
We travel every year a few months and do a lot of boondocking. On that way we hope to learn more about the USA and hope to met nice people. We had so a fantastic stay by Celline and Hal. Feel likes we knew them a long time. Had nice talkings on their great terras with wonderful view. Join them to church and had a meal together. Wish we could stay longer but wants to see more in the area. Hope to see these great hosts a next time when we come in USA. God bless!
Wonderful Boondockers Welcome new hosts. Our group is lucky that such an hospitable couple will share their quiet rural lakeside home with those of us travelling in Florida. We asked to arrive a day early but a flat tire had us arriving the next day. We were invited to share their sunset view from the deck then moved indoors as it got later. We asked to stay an extra night - and they let us. This led to us going out for dinner together to see a neighbouring town.
If you love nature and friendly folks, you should visit Melrose!
Host were extremely hospitality! Great place to spend a night and day. They shared their home and beautiful sunset over lake with me, as well as wine, and even homemade guacamole. And their two Basset Hounds were friendly and majestic.
I couldn’t have ask for more. Great spot and wonderful host!
Our host was in touch with us in a very timely fashion and greeted us upon our arrival. We had fun sharing rv stories. What a beautiful spot complete with dancing sand hill cranes!
The hosts were extremely hospitable, even sharing a glass of wine with me while we sat on their deck and watched the sand hill cranes dance about and the sun set.
We stayed here one night and wished we stayed longer. After staying at several boondocking places we have to say that this was the best one. Beautiful property, wonderful welcoming hosts and lovely dogs. On our way back we will try staying here again.