As someone who’s spent the night in thousands of hotel rooms over the years, I’m not easily impressed. So when I discover places that turn out to be more than just another generic place to lay my head at the end of a long day, I figure I ought to share the wealth.

Which brings me to these hot tips on three great lodging options I discovered on my recent visit to San Diego:

Marriott Courtyard/Liberty Station

Located on the grounds of the former Naval Training Center, this year-old waterfront hotel combines an ideal location with a super-friendly staff, surprisingly attractive and well-kept rooms and public spaces, and an on-site restaurant (serving up killer breakfasts) and deli into something that’s way more than just another chain-operated airport hotel.  In fact, I actually preferred it hands-down over the much pricier W Hotel downtown I stayed at earlier in the week.

Pacific Terrace Hotel

If you know anything about San Diego, you know sooner or later you’re going to end up at the beach.  So why not stay there?  Located a couple of blocks north of the Crystal Pier in my old Pacific Beach neighborhood, this relatively small property offers huge rooms with ocean views as good as any in town, plus a free continental breakfast every morning and fresh, hot cookies every afternoon.  Check out the view at their online web cam.

Roar & Snore/Wild Animal Park

Okay, so technically this isn’t a hotel.  But sleeping in one of the large canvas tents overlooking the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s wide-open East Africa exhibit offers amenities no hotel room can match, like the sounds of tigers roaring and elephants trumpeting as you drift off to sleep.  Add some tasty grub plus walking tours and family-friendly activities and you have a lodging alternative that you won’t soon forget.

In the previous installment, I pointed out that you don’t have to travel to remote corners of the globe to have an extraordinary experience.  Well, here’s another example of a genuine once-in-a-lifetime adventure hiding in plain sight at one of San Diego’s most-visited tourist attractions:

Ewwww! Rhino slobber!

Let’s try a little word association.  When I say “San Diego,” you say what?

Anyone who’s ever visited America’s Finest City knows there’s no shortage of ways to fill in that blank.  But I’m thinking of one word in particular: Zoo.  After all, there are good reasons they call it the “World Famous San Diego Zoo,” not the least of which are some of the classic episodes where the zoo’s animal ambassador Joan Embry and her furry friends visited Johnny Carson on NBC’s Tonight Show.

While meeting some of the zoo’s exotic animals didn’t always work out quite the way Johnny envisioned, it was always amusing.  And I can tell you from personal experience that the zoo’s new Backstage Pass program is every bit as much fun.  Maybe more, in fact, since you get to be a participant instead of just a spectator.

The two-hour family-friendly adventure starts with a tasty boxed lunch and private stage show starring a wide array of critters ranging from Sonic the hedgehog (gee, I wonder where they dream up these crazy names) to Amara the cheetah.  After lunch, my family and I got to do a meet-and-greet with more animals including a male emu named Daphne (apparently it’s not that easy to tell the boy emus from the girls).

While all that was fun, the best part of the experience as far as I’m concerned was getting to feed, pet, and scratch the heavily-armored backs of two endangered Indian rhinos.  To be this close to such rare (only 3,000 remain in the wild) and amazing creatures was a real treat.  And, let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve been slobbered on by a hungry rhino!

A lot of folks mistakenly assume that having a truly extraordinary experience means spending a ton of dough or traveling to exotic locales.  Today’s post, the first in a two-part series, proves that ain’t necessarily so.

Eat your heart out, Captain Ahab!

Considering I’m all about hunting down remarkable adventures, it’s probably not all that surprising that I generally tend to shy away from theme parks and similar attractions that cater to the masses. But my recent trip to San Diego reminded me that sometimes, with a little digging, it’s possible to turn up some downright extraordinary experiences even in the most touristy places you can imagine.

Case in point: SeaWorld’s Beluga Interaction Program.  While dolphin encounters have become fairly common, I can’t think of anywhere else you can get up-close-and-personal with one of these great white whales short of making the arduous and expensive trip to the Arctic Ocean (you can read about my friend Bob Howells’ beluga experience in the waters of Hudson Bay here).

While actually sliding into the 52-degree water with two of the park’s 14-foot long belugas was definitely the high point of our behind-the-scenes experience in the park’s Wild Arctic habitat, it was far from the only cool thing we did during the 70-minute program.  Seeing an 11-foot tall male polar bear rear up on his hind legs to reach a treat offered by his keeper—even if he was behind his protective steel enclosure—was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Obie: I am the walrus!

My favorite part of the experience, however, was the chance to feed a 2,500-pound male walrus named Obie. After his snack, the portly pinniped showed off a few of the hilarious sounds he could make, including a lion-esque roar that left me covered in fish scales and walrus snot  (Note to Self: Never stand in front of a vocalizing walrus).  Now there’s a story for my next cocktail party!

In short, the entire Beluga Interaction Program was an absolute hoot.  Not to mention a great reminder that sometimes you’ll find extraordinary experiences waiting for you in the least likely places.

NEXT TIME: We go on safari without leaving California.

Pink tourmaline

Just heard a report that the price of gold has reached an all-time high at over $1,000 per ounce.  Which got me thinking that maybe it was time to head back to Wood’s Creek in California’s Sierra Nevada gold country to see if I could dig up—literally—enough gold to give me a little extra walking-around money.

It also reminded me of another natural treasure I discovered nearly 20 years ago in the mountains northeast of San Diego.  Just past the sleepy little town of Pala (not quite as sleepy these days, now that the Pala tribe has opened a glittering new casino with a killer buffet) you’ll find the turn off for Gems Of Pala.

Here you can sift through buckets of gravel in search of the same hot-pink tourmalines that were coveted by the last Chinese empress.  The material is brought up from the area around the gem pockets in the depths of my friend Blue Sheppard’s Stewart Mine and is often filled with small tourmalines that range in color from pink to a gorgeous green/pink bi-color variety known as watermelon.

Treasure hunting with my friend Blue Sheppard

At $20 per bucket, it’s an inexpensive and fun way to spend the afternoon treasure hunting.  Best of all, it’s also an outing that—if you’re lucky—might very well pay off in a collection of gemstones that are actually many times more rare than diamonds!

Myrtles Plantation/St. Francisville, LA

Maybe you’ve heard about this new movie Paranormal Activity, which is supposed to be the scariest new movie to come along since The Blair Witch Project made us all think twice before heading into the woods with a video camera back in 1999.

Of course, watching a  movie like this is just one way to get that spooky feeling that makes a shiver run up your spine.  For a more authentic paranormal experience, I’d highly recommend you spend the night at St. Francisville, Louisiana’s Myrtles Plantation.

This grand 1796 antebellum home has seen so much tragedy over the past two centuries that it’s no wonder many paranormal experts believe it to be one of the most haunted homes in the U.S.  You’re bound to get goose bumps just listening to the guide’s tales of ghostly encounters that actually seem to get more frequent when guests are present.  If that’s not spooky enough for you, you can arrange to spend the night in one of the rooms of the main house where former guests have heard everything from the sounds of some long-ago social event to a mortally-wounded man staggering loudly up the steep wooden stairs.

And while there’s no guarantee you’ll see a ghost, it’s a safe bet that you’ll come away with some great stories to tell at your next Halloween party!

Just a quick note for all those folks headed to this weekend’s 38^th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (October 3-11).  As cool as you think it is to watch from the edges of the field as 700 hot air balloons from 17 countries lift off—and it is among the coolest spectacles you’ll ever witness—you simply must spring for one of the balloon rides that go up in the middle of each morning’s mass ascensions!

Now I know what you’re thinking: You’ve been up in a hot air balloon before and, while it was great fun, you’re not sure you really wanna lay out the dough for another balloon ride.  Well, trust me on this one, you most certainly do.  The rides provided by the festival’s official operator Rainbow Riders (no relation, unfortunately) take an already over-the-top adventure and turn it into one of my all-time favorite extraordinary experiences.

To get a better understanding of what I mean when I say these rides are like standing inside a giant three-dimensional kaleidoscope, check out the story and photos on XTRORD.com.

Alaskan brown bear looking for lunch/Katmai National Park

Don’t know about anybody else, but I’m looking forward to this weekend’s premiere of Ken Burns’ latest documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

The six-part series, which starts this Sunday night on PBS stations everywhere, was filmed over the course of six years in wildly diverse locations ranging from the seemingly endless river of grass that is the Florida Everglades to the frozen fjords of Alaska.  Along the way Burns and writer/producer Dayton Duncan chronicle the birth and development of the uniquely American notion that these extraordinary places—now totaling 58 national parks and 333 national monuments and historic sites—should be preserved and protected for future generations to enjoy.

The downside, of course, is that many of this country’s most impressive national parks have become victims of their own popularity.  But we’ve found a few unique ways to leave the crowds of tourists behind at four of these national treasures:

Katmai National Park

Sorry, but watching an Alaskan brown bear on television—even if it’s in a Ken Burns documentary—just can’t do these magnificent creatures justice.  To see what I mean, sign yourself up for one of these amazing bear-viewing expeditions.

Canyonlands National Park

While I haven’t been to every national park, I have been to quite a few.  And this rugged landscape in southern Utah remains my favorite.  See it up-close-and-personal on these backcountry four-wheel drive tours.

Everglades National Park

If you’ve spent any time in south Florida, you may be find it hard to believe that there’s any wilderness left here.  Which is precisely what makes these airboat tours so remarkable.  The fact that they use a smaller airboat that can get into places those huge propeller-driven barges other operators use just sweetens the deal.

Grand Canyon National Park

Anyone who’s ever stood on the rim of the Grand canyon has wondered what the view would be like from the bottom looking up.  Find out on these helicopter flights that land you on the banks of the Colorado River.

"We're going to need a bigger boat."

Remember the scene in the movie Jaws where beachgoers ran screaming from the water’s edge when someone spotted the movie’s toothy star (no, not Roy Scheider) in the waters off the fictional Amity Island?  Well, call me crazy, but I had exactly the opposite reaction last week when I heard several great white sharks had been seen cruising the waters around Cape Cod.

You see, I’m one of those people who’d go way out of my way to see a great white in the wild.  If you’re similarly inclined, you might want to check out the one-day shark diving trips to California’s Farallon Islands or five-day expeditions to Baja’s Isla Guadalupe offered by Great White Adventures.  Fall is prime-time for seeing great whites in these two areas, as the 15-foot eating machines come to feed on the seals that congregate on these remote rocky outcroppings.

If these up-close-and-personal shark encounters seem a little too, ummm, up-close for you, you might want to head to the Monterey Bay Aquarium where they’ve just introduced the fifth in a series of juvenile great whites into their million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit.  But don’t delay if you’re hoping to get a look at one of only a handful of these rare creatures ever put on public display, as this sleek five-foot female will likely be released back into the open ocean before the turn of the year.

Champagne Toast at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon

Given the fact that today’s date—9/9/09—is kind of unique, I thought I ought to mark the occasion by doing something equally unusual here.

Which got me to thinking that, while I’ve written about more than 30 of my most extraordinary experiences on the pages of XTRORD.com, I’ve had a number of equally cool once-in-a-lifetime adventures over the years that I’ve yet to share here.

With that in mind, I thought I’d give you a quick look at nine of my favorite extraordinary experience tales never told:

Airship Venture’s Zeppelin Flights

Cruising serenely 1,000 feet above San Francisco Bay landmarks like the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz aboard one of only three zeppelins on the planet makes these hour-long sightseeing flights über cool.

Utah Olympic Park Bobsled Rides

They bill this Park City, UT experience as “the most intense minute of your life” and, let me tell you, they’re not exaggerating.  An amazing experience, but best suited for adrenaline junkies.

Ride The Wind Airboat Adventures

Airboat rides are a dime a dozen in the Everglades, but Captain Randy’s operation is different. From using a smaller custom-designed airboat that can take you places those other barges can’t go to the chance to actually take the controls yourself, this is the only way to fly through the fabled River of Grass.

4-Wheeling America Backcountry Tours

Want to get way off the beaten path and explore all those breathtakingly beautiful wild places the average tourist will never see?  My friend Bill Burke—one of the world’s foremost 4WD trainers and backcountry guides—is the guy to see.

Riding In A Mardi Gras Parade

Everyone knows being in the crowd at a Mardi Gras parade can be great fun.  But joining the star-studded Krewe of Orpheus to be in the parade, well, that takes the experience to a whole ‘nother level.

Sundance Helicopters Grand Canyon Picnic

Long to stand on the floor of the Grand Canyon but not up for making the grueling hike?  I felt the same way until I discovered these way-fun flights that land you 3,500 feet below the rim for a champagne picnic .

Sea Quest Kayaking Orca Watching Tours

Paddling a sea kayak and whale-watching tours are both fun outings, even if they are a little generic.  But put the two together with a pod of killer whales off the coast of Washington’s scenic San Juan Islands and you’ll have something to tell the grandkids about.

Astronomers Inn

On most trips, your day is pretty well done by the time you head back to your room for the night.  Not here, as the owners of this southern Arizona B&B open up their in-house observatory where your personal astronomer will take you on a guided tour of the galaxy.

Jim Hall Kart Racing School

While other racing schools may look sexier, I can tell you from personal experience that you’ll learn more true racing technique—and have way more fun—tearing up the track with Jim Hall and his instructors

Some songs are timeless. Like, oh, say the entire Beatles catalog, for example.  Which makes next Wednesday a big day, for reasons that go beyond the numerology implications of its unique 09/09/09 date.

First, it’s the day the folks at Capitol/EMI release the first digitally-remastered versions of all 12 of the Beatles studio albums in 22 years.  A team of engineers at London’s Abbey Road Studios spent four years reworking the albums using a combination of the latest technology and vintage equipment to create what promises to be unparalleled sound quality that faithfully reproduces the original analog recordings.

Not coincidentally, next Wednesday also marks the long anticipated release of The Beatles: Rock Band for Xbox 360, PlayStation3, and Nintendo Wii video game consoles.  The game offers more than three dozen vintage Beatles tunes and a number of interesting new features, along with optional add-ons like copies of the Fab Four’s classic instruments.

While all this sounds like great fun, allow me to restate one of our guiding principles here at XTRORD.com:  Reality kicks virtual reality’s butt any day.  Which is why I’d recommend that those of you looking to have an authentic rock band experience check out the programs put on by Rock-n-Roll Fantasy Camp which pair rocker-wannabes with a wide range of genuine rock star “counselors.”

Of all my extraordinary experiences, playing with Kip Winger’s band in front of a sold-out crowd at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore Auditorium remains one of the most memorable things I’ve ever done.  It also proves that—like the Rock Band video game—limited musical ability is no excuse not to get up there and perform!