If the good professor is right, and they are in the Rio Grande River, and if they follow mark’s advice, (which has never let them down in the past, right??)  they will swim to the shore that is in Los Estados Undios.  Doubting that they have any documentation at all, they will run into authorities and Mark will be left to go about his business… maybe even Carina, since they both look “American.”  But not Gabe.  Without documentos para passaporte, he will be taken back to the Mexican side of the river and well, that will be the end of him…

Sorry if that’s a big spoiler, gang… let’s hope there’s another story in store… maybe even run into Jose and Jefe!  Now that would be awesome!!

Not that I was terribly worried about Carina and Gabe, but not having them pop up would have added months to the story line…  A classic “What Th-?” from Mark…

I love that Mark calls out Carina’s name with a single exclamation point… and Gabe’s with a combination exclamation point and question mark, as in, ” What the Hell, Fatty?  I can’t seem to shake you, can I?”

So here we are kids, in the middle of the Gulf of California (my guess at this point) and here’s hoping that they can all swim.  Not sure I have seen any coast line since they popped up out of the water…

Travel all the way from where you were to the Gulf of Mexico?  (George Atkins called that one…) Apparently so.  Recall that we were placed somewhere in the Chihuahuan Desert, presumably the part that juts into Texas, and even if we were in the western-most tip, it’s 100+ km to the ocean…

But yes, in world where time moves slowly and quickly at the same time, so can three intrepids cover such a distance in an underground cave system full of (mostly) unexplained light, water, gypsum, cliffs and whatnot…

But let’s consider the chances of Mark finding the exact spot he burbled up, the hole he popped through, and his ability to lead “the authorities” Hotty and Fatty… And let’s imagine the “authorities” dropping everything they are doing and, at great expense, mount a search and rescue mission.  More likely they will ask Mark for his Passport and lacking that he will be thrown into a Mexican Jail…   Let’s hope that they, like Mark, chose to hold their breath to the point of aching lungs on the chance that they too can find their way to the ocean.

What body of water could this possible be??  And what hair product does Mark use to ensure that nary a lock is out of place, even after swimming underwater??

I am glad that the bubbles in panel one are being created by Mark exhaling, and not some giant school of fish collectively breaking wind…  Well, the adventure’s not over, kids, the other two (can’t bring myself to type their names…) have to find there way out without dying and Mark has to find his way to shore… that should only take another month or two…

As we continue to confuse the Sunday installments with the dailies…

… I would love to know what the pink, flesh-colored creature is…

Although I will say that this is better than looking at Mark, Gabe or Corina, which is all we’ve been subjected to for months…  But what does the symbolism mean?  The soaring hawk indicates that Mark maybe floating on the surface… the Lantern Fish suggests that he has sunken to the very depths of the ocean.  But of course we started in the desert of West Texas, so which ocean are we talking about here?  How far have they walked??

In the Dodd/Elrod era, every daily strip had a picture of a wilderness creature- a bit of wildlife.  James Allen has gotten away from that, so I guess we get a triple dose today!!

Hold your breath(s) everyone!!

We do get to see what Gabe and Carina are talking about… and wonder of wonders, they are talking about their own imminent deaths!  C’mon, guys…? Seriously?  You are going go where the Trail goes?  At your own risk of course…  And what is Gabe  doing with his hands in panel one?  is he wringing them?  Or is that his left hand about to unfurl a dramatic gesture? (for which he has become known…)

I really feel for Carina.  She doesn’t get rendered the same way twice. Constantly shape shifting from ‘hot’ to ‘not’… Definitely ‘not’ today.  Her left eye seems to be wandering a bit…

OK Kids, in you go.  Meanwhile, it looks like we’ll all have to hold our collective breath ’til Monday to find out what happened to Mark!!

…to hear what Gabe and Carina are saying…  uncomfortable silence, perhaps?  Gabe declaring his undying affection for Carina?  His hopes and dreams, all shot?  No chance to be the keynote speaker at the next White-nosed Bat symposium?  Carina standing there, hearing Gabe as only Charlie Brown heard his teacher carp at him?

How ironic, though, that the last frame, fraction of a frame, is all dark… which is probably what we should have been seeing for the last 4 months as our crew stumbled through the cave without any lamps or lanterns to guide them… But Mark?  Done for?? Oh say it isn’t so!  There must be a pocket of air somewhere!  Or use your magic fish breathing gill powers!  Or maybe find a fish and do mouth-to-mouth… ok, ewww…  Whatever.  Let’s get this over with, shall we??

While Mark uses up what little oxygen he has left, let’s consider dates…

Today is 6-16-16.  Not quite as momentous as 1-1-01, 2-2-02, 3-3-03… on up to 12-12-12, but it will have to do, since we won’t have another “pure run”  until 1-1-2101, which is 85 years from now… and who knows who will be steering the ship of Trail-state at that point… whether we will still have things like comics… All I know is that I’d be 140 years old, which is highly unlikely.  My kids would be centenarians, which, who knows, may be commonplace for that generation…  We might actually find a fountain of youth and other planets with vast resources over which to claim dominion.

I remember being in New York City on 8-8-88 (that would be in the 20th century, boys and girls… which certainly ages me…) but no clue what I was doing on 9-9-99, although Google tells me that it was a Thursday which probably means I was on an airplane heading home after a week of selling consulting services.

So, however you are spending your days (remaining or otherwise) on earth, please remember that they are limited.  Time is something we don’t get to replace…  it is a non-renewable resource, and the amount which we are given is not known.  Live, Love, and never look back.  Make today and the rest of your days better than all that have gone before.

…you’ll get spat out at some point- lifeless and useless, but you’ll be found.

And, oh, by the way, it was Gabe who mentioned the Current, not Carina, but hey, who’s keeping track anyway??

Prediction:  Mark gets sucked through the aforementioned and anticipated “hole,” pops to the surface, takes a great big breath, looks around and sees that he’s in the middle of a large village…  The villagers all look at him as the second coming of the conquistadors, bearing promises and smallpox, and kill him on the spot…