Ya'll know how I feel these days 'bout ownin' Real Estate... or even a part of one... So... This lil' bit of the day was a fella genuinely forcing his tiny lil' mind to Open a touch! :)
We were tossin' around, early in the morning, directly after those first photographs were captured... what we should do and where we should do it. Our brainstomin' was fit in just a bit before we made the drive into Oak Creek canyon to capture those snow on the pines pics... and then came out for the Fantisificatin' gallery stop...
'bout that same time my morning coffee was reminding me with increasing urgency that it was requiring some considerable additional processing and I was in significant need of a men's room.
I also wanted to try and capture the gate to Tlaquepaque on my digital film. For those of you who've so far passed on by Sedona... besides the Son Silver West spot, this is likely the best place in town for a ree-laxed stroll around shady courtyards scopin' out fine art of all sorts...
Well... it just so happens that die-recktly 'cross the street from Tlaquepaque is one of those "VISITOR INFORMATION" places you see in every tourist mecca 'cross the west... Generally means they're hawkin' the local tourist traps. ;) Buuuuuuut there was another big ol' sign alongside the info sign that caught my attention ~ PUBLIC RESTROOMS! :)
So... while I took care of the coffee and the Gate Picture... Heidi went to ask about the condition of Schnebly Hill Road... the place we were wanting (I was wanting) to 4X in pursuit of some more bad weather pics. (it was closed cuz of the snow)
The upstart is... the fella inside was hawking "Tours" of one of the local Time Shares... ooooffff.
Normally I walk away shakin' my head and gigglin'; "Not a Chance Sparky!" ... but... it would appear that I went and got myself contaminated at that Ak Chin Casino. See, they offered a $100 bucks or a FREE Jeep tour with one of Sedona's many back country Jeep Tour concessions... if we'd just endure their 90 minute spiel...
Heidi kinda leaned at the $100 bucks... I figured those Jeep outfits pull in pretty much a hundred a head... something we were unlikely to afford...
So... Time Share Touring we went in the afternoon... sheesh... this travel writer/RV Boondocking writer gig is gettin' me to pushin' the envelope just a mite.
All that stretching can be painful!
Now, my thinkin' runs like this; Some time in the future, some sort of a kind of a "Base Camp" is a likely change in our way of going... so investigating the many possibilities is only sensible... right? and it might could help some or a few of the readers who come here if I scouted the trail a bit? and... well... I did get a free Jeep ride out of it! ;)
I walked in hangin' tight to my empty wallet, figuring this was just another slick deal where you get soaked... and came away pretty surprised at how much 'economic sense' it makes for those who have the dinero to get into it in the first place.
'cause it's not just at this partic'lar spot. Their deal gives access to places to stay all over the world... some few thousand of 'em.
A year or so down the road... if our "Fortunes" improve a bit, I could see us setting up this sort of deal here. It would put a fella right smack in the middle of the best country in Arizona. Sweet day trips in any direction to keep the dust knocked off your tires OR your boots.
The spot here in Sedona is one of the few that have a small RV setup... the deal here is if you/we'd bought in, we could have 26 weeks with full hookups for "Free". 26 weeks using none of the "points"... That's six months on only the annual maintenance fee you pay on Time Shares...
Or, you can stay in "your casita" burning points and have your "Guest" stay in the RV area for a bit...
... THAT... would make for a pretty fair winter camp for someone... not to mention the economics of having fine places to stay on road trip side trips away from the rig... all the way to Hawaii and New Zealand! ;)
...all sorts of ways to capitalize on the economics of the packages they've got here come to mind... IF ... you've got the "Economic Tools" to take advantage...
"Economic Tools"... that's a fancy term those college educated sorts use... it means Dinero! ;) But, unfortunately for them here... My toolbox is pretty empty.
Anyhoo... they showed us around the place a bit. They're built in the form of one and two bedroom "casita" type places.
The streets are wide and well landscaped and maintained...
The feel of the place surprised me.
None of the claustrophobic feel I expected, and since it was spring break the place was fairly full... and ya'll know how I am 'bout crowds! ;)
The 'casitas' strike me as Park Model type construction in size and layout...
Each place has a nice patio... this is one of the two bed units. The second bedroom is behind me from where I took this picture and to the right a couple feet across the patio...
So... There it is. Our Time Share tour. We felt kinda bad turning the deal down.
I think, because we were so surprised by the "Sense" their product makes for folks who like to travel a lot, and the questions that had us asking, that the gal showing us around thought she had a sale.
If you're heading out on the road, or have been there a while and are thinking of a change of some sort... this sort of a deal, carefully weighed, would sure be worth some thought...
... and tomorrow... the Jeep into the back country that we got for taking their tour! :)
Geeze... "Free" play money at Casinos... "Free" Jeep Tours into the Arizona back Country... it's kinda like cocaine... I'm gaining a better understanding how some of the folks I rail against get caught up in their "entitlement" ways! :) ha ha...
Back to an RV Boondocking Rehab Intervention!
Brian
3 comments:
Hope you read the fine print real carefully! If your fiver is over 10 years old, they don't want your rig messing up their image of wealth and exclusiveness, no matter how well maintained. Or my brother's brand new pop-up camper and he has been a member of a time-share for years before he bought it!
Thanks Judy; and yeah... ALWAYS... read the fine print. We're not doing an sort of "Buying" in anything like the near future ;) I can say there was an obviously over ten year old rig parked in there when we passed on our tour... I do know you're right about some of the "Outfits"...
Just food for thought.
Brian,
Some of those HOA covennents can really try one's temper.
My brother-in-law had one where he lived and had to get special permission to park his class C at his house.
He had to put in a gate to "hide" it.
And it was NOT a bad looking rig.
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