REBECCA ROBERTS, Host:
An Amtrak train runs from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., to Union Station, right next door to the Capitol. Rhonda Hodge will be riding that train. It's the last leg of her inaugural journey, all the way from Murphy, Texas. She writes for the hometown paper. It's called the Murphy Messenger. The paper's tiny, publishing just twice a month, but she managed to get credentials to cover the inauguration.
Ms. RHONDA HODGE (Reporter, The Murphy Messenger): This will be the absolute biggest thing I've even dreamt of covering, actually.
ROBERTS: And just for the occasion, she's created a special hat.
Ms. HODGE: My hat is a hand-knit, 100-percent wool and mohair hat. It's in the Jackie Kennedy Onassis pillbox-style with a tiny, turned-up brim.
ROBERTS: And the color, bright orange.
Ms. HODGE: I was thinking, if I'm going to be able to go, I want to be able to be seen. First, in a crowd of millions of people, I want to be seen there in the crowd, as well as on TV, as well as if I get stampeded, people can say, well, the orange hat just went down...
ROBERTS: You can see Rhonda's orange hat at npr.org.