Practical Mark wears a flight pillow, just in case. Or maybe a fashion statement. Cherry sees no need, in any case. Anyway, where is the Family Trail at this point in their flight? Probably not the Smokey Mountains, but possibly crossing the Rockies. I reckon that puts them well under 3.14159 hours from Oregon. Based on panel 1, it seems the Trails decided to fly First Class. A wise choice, but pretty expensive for them, unless Pappy Happy is footing the bill. I suppose he and Rusty are sitting in Coach?

Hey, Cherry! There’s no need to “sneak” pie or almost any food onto an airplane any longer. It’s a common occurrence and perfectly legal. What’s amazing is how she got it onto the plane without it getting smushed.

I think panel 1 is well conceived and executed, and I especially like the image of Mark. He has a non-nonsense, determined expression that looks like what a lot of readers had hoped for in the new Mark Trail. It certainly plays more to type than the teary-eyed, boxy figure of Mark in panel 3. I’m not backing off in my appreciation of the fact that Rivera toned down Mark’s flat, heroic posture and purebred moral nature; but I would like to see more grit and determination in Mark that does not arise from emotional outbursts and revenge.