As Cherry and Mark celebrated the completion of the catio, resolving the issue of where to keep the cache of found kittens (and possibly their mother, though I’m not certain), Mark received his usual just-in-time phone call from Bill Ellis. Interesting how that always seems to happen. Have we ever seen an instance of Mark getting a call from Bill while he was in the middle of a project or adventure?

Bill engages Mark to head to crazy-land (Florida) to assist/report/confound the transportation of Max the Manatee back to the ocean from his landing in a resort pool as the result of recent storms and/or floods.

The problem:  It seems there are some militant anti-climate activists that have been making threats to the company moving Max, because meteorology is evil. What that has to do with Max the Manatee is a mystery. But Mark is gung-ho to go and help save Max! Not that we know exactly what Mark is supposed to do or why, but if this sounds whacko, remember two things: The action takes place in Florida and this is just another Mark Trail story.

A nicely-composed title panel leads us into this brief presentation, including some sound advice for presumptuous tourists and distracted drivers. You likely won’t run into a moose unless you live in or visit the upper United States, Canada, or northern Europe. As bad as it is to collide with a moose on the road, colliding with something as small as a deer on the road can also be dangerous to drivers and bikers. I always get a bit nervous and cautious driving through forested areas, especially in the Fall during mating season. When driving in northern Minnesota, the only way I want to see a moose on the road is in my rearview mirror!