As soon as Covid was under control in Queensland. I mean really under control, no community transmission, people living in Queensland were encouraged to be tourists in their home state. I got plane reservations on Jet Star and reserved a camper van through Cruisin Motor Homes in Cairns. I did not get insurance, since we were leaving in less than a month, and it wasn’t a very expensive trip. But then two weeks later I broke my ankle–see Red Cedar Speaks. The money was spent, I was going anyway.

I had to get special papers signed from my doctor saying that I could fly. At the airport, I hopped up to the reservation counter and asked for a wheel chair. They took my signed papers and got me the wheel chair. What a relief to finally sit, it had been a long hop on crutches up to the ticket counter, my friend, Kathy, managing our three suitcases.. Kathy rolled me to our terminal. Getting on the plane was difficult, since most small Australian airports don’t use ramps, you walk up stairs outside to get on the plane. For me the had a special lift that I stood in balancing on my crutches. They didn’t let me take pictures of it.

I planned to rent an electric scooter in Cairns to get around. I thought maybe with a scooter I’d be able to go on some trails. When we got to the rental place they said the electric scooter would not work except on paved trails or roads. That would be useless, and so would a wheel chair. They suggested I get a knee scooter. It was absolutely marvelous.