The Pink Inukshuk Hat

Forget the sold out red mittens, that's not what Denver wants from the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Everyone wants the pink hat and it's nowhere to be found!

I bought the pink and white striped hat last week at the little gift shop inside the International Broadcast Center. I like pink, I had a 9News jacket that matched it and was having a bad hair day (lots of rain and humidity mixed with curls is never a good thing). I thought it was perfect. I had no idea it would spark a storm of e-mails and Tweets.

It started with an email from Michelle in Greenwood Village: "Susie - I was watching the 4:00pm news cast and was watching you from the Olympics. I am very interested in where you got the pink beanie. I love it. Any help on where I can get that would be great."

Then came an email to our Web Team from Laura: "Can you tell me where Susie got her pink and white Olympic hat?"

Soon another email from Nick: "Hi Susie, My wife loves your pink hat! I assume you got it at the Olympics? I am scouring websites trying to find it and I'm not having any luck. Would you mind giving me some details about it so that I might be able to find one for her?"

And then there were the Tweets: @susiewargin Where did you get the pink striped Vancouver hat you wore last night (with your pink jacket)? I LOVE IT! Now I'm on a mission!

And there are more. I've tried finding it on the web; the tag says www.vancouver2010.com but it's nowhere to be found in the official store. So, I'm offering to buy them for viewers and bring them back. Last time I checked, the gift shop still had quite a few, but by the time the Games are over, I might have their entire stock!

Just goes to show: you never know what can come from $25 and a bad hair day!

Matt Renoux and I enjoying Opening Ceremonie in the NBC compound

We have arrived!

It's Sunday morning in overcast Richmond BC... time to catch everyone up on our Olympic journey so far.

Saturday was a long day of travel. I was up early at 4am (not nearly as early as I usually wake up though, so almost sleeping in) for an 8:30 flight from DIA to Seattle. After being dropped off at the airport by my husband, Matt Renoux and I checked a bunch of bulky bags and equipment in at the United counter. They all asked if we were going to Miami for the Super Bowl. Nope, 25 days in Canada.

We flew to Seattle and met up with our "warden" Tim Dietz who is in charge of all the Gannett folks here (he's the nut in the Canada hat). We also met up with a few co-workers we will be working closely with from our Gannett stations in Phoenix and Minneapolis. After a rental car pick up, we were off to cross the border.

Matt and I made a few stops along the way. Lunch was way overdue and we also shot some water scenes for a story he is working on. I took pictures of the two "tokens" my kids gave me and will continue to do so throughout the trip. The pink frog is my daughter Sam's and the Lego Skeleton man is Justin's. Pretty funny huh?

Eventually we did make it into Canada and to our hotel in Richmond. I have a suite, Matt does not. I found this out when I made the mistake of saying how nice our rooms are with the couch and living area. He said "what living area?" Whoops... he has a big room with two beds. I felt bad.

After "settling" into our rooms for all of a 1/2 hour, we boarded the train to take us to Vancouver. It was packed at 7pm at night and the games haven't even started. Matt & I were both hauling big backpacks with our laptops and cameras so we take up a little extra room. About 25 minutes later we were in Vancouver.

We made our way to the IBC (International Broadcast Center) which is where we will spend all our time when we aren't shooting stories and running down athletes. We got our credentials checked and laminated, except for Matt. There was a discrepancy on his birthday from his passport so he wasn't allowed in the IBC. Like the suite, Matt got the short end of the stick. Poor guy.

We spent some time in the IBC getting to know our workspace, checking out where Bob Costas will do his show and most importantly, where they are feeding us. We will be well taken care of if/when we find time to eat!

When we left, we found a somewhat sulking Matt Renoux blogging in a food court by the train station. We boarded back to Richmond for the hotel and I unpacked. My home away from home already looks like home: piles have formed, electronic devices are all plugged in and my snacks have taken over the ice bucket.

This morning I ran 12 miles on a gorgeous flat, dirt trail that is a block from the hotel. Water lines one side of the path and gorgeous houses line the other. It was amazing. I ran past the Olympic Oval where Speedskating will start on Saturday. What an incredible venue this is just from the outside (notice the security fences - two layers between that path and the venue). I can't wait to watch an event in there and since it's only a mile south of the hotel hopefully that will happen!

Today's plan includes a story on the IBC so we can show you what it's like behind the scenes. When you watch us live on TV or see Brian Williams on Nightly News, you only get the one view. Our "IBC Cribs" story will show you everything (except the set where Costas sits - that's off limits - but I will show you the hallway he will walk in!).

So far, I'm very impressed and can't wait to dig my heels even deeper into these games, cities and venues!