Dogwood Maple's Near-Nightmare Journey from the Super Bowl

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What started as an exciting trip to Super Bowl LVII turned into an absolute nightmare for Dogwood Maple.  From his in-season home in Vancouver, Maple first flew to Las Vegas for a quick weekend getaway.  

 

"Things were going great at first.  I got hot at Caesars Palace and won a couple grand at the blackjack tables.  I figured that was a good omen for the rest of the trip, but I could not have been more wrong," Maple explained.

 

After Vegas, Maple hopped on a quick flight to Phoenix for some pre-game festivities in and around State Farm Stadium.  

 

"I have a couple of close friends on both teams so they let me go out on the field before the game, tour the locker rooms, and everything like that.  They were also kind enough to give me a field pass during the game so I was able to hang out on both sidelines throughout the back-and-forth game.  And what a game it was.  Always great to be on the field for one of those games that comes down to the wire, to almost the last second of the game.  Just an incredible time.  But that's where the fun ended," Maple said.

 

After the game ended, Maple was set to get a ride back to Phoenix and his hotel room, so his agent ordered him a ride.  But apparently, the driver not only got lost, but accidentally picked up someone who was not Dogwood Maple.

 

"I don't know if the driver just got turned around or what, but he just picked up some random fan and took them back to their hotel.  Which is fine, stuff like that happens, so after waiting for an hour we booked another ride for me back to my hotel.  Fortunately, I actually got picked up, but there was a miscommunication on where I was going," Maple said.

 

Maple was staying at the Hilton Phoenix, but was dropped off at the Hilton Phoenix Chandler, 26 miles away.  

 

"I told the driver that we were headed the wrong way, be he assured me that he had it right.  So when we got to the Hilton Phoenix Chandler, he was so sure that he told me to go ahead and check in because he had another pickup and he couldn't wait.  But when I went to the front desk, they confirmed my fears that I was supposed to be at another property," Maple told us.

 

But that's when @Frankcame in handy.  The trusty Vancouver GM has a contact in the helicoptering community who was all to happy to help out.  Maple had to make his way to the roof of the hotel and await pickup in the helicopter.

 

"I'd never ridden in a helicopter before, so I was a little scared.  I made sure I was buckled in tight and was white-knuckle-gripping one of the side handles.  But luckily everything went fine....for a while.  There was a sudden updraft and we started spinning wildly out of control, causing one of the back doors to fly open which flung all my luggage out the side.  And you know what was in my luggage? You guessed it: my wallet," Maple said.

 

After making an emergency landing some 5 miles from his actual destination, Maple was too shaken up to get back in a vehicle so he walked to the hotel.  He tried to check in, but the front desk demanded an ID, which he did not have.

 

"Luckily someone in the lobby recognized me and vouched that I was who I said I was and they let me check-in.  Definitely not how I planned the trip, but I'm just glad I made it safe and sound."