...Yes, our family visit has come to an end. My cousin Nathan and his better half, Janice, have returned to the comparatively frigid north, up in the Great Lake State of Michigan. But before they departed there was a bit more exploring to do and a lot more food to consume!
For dinner we took Nathan and Janice to our favorite Mexican Restaurant in nearby Madisonville Tennessee. Sol Azteca is in a non-descript building located at the bend of US Hwy 411 and an overpass so the restaurant doesn't exactly stand out to the passerby.
Janice posed for Nathan standing beside this imaginative "Day of the Dead" figure. At my stage and age I don't celebrate this particular holiday... I would prefer "Day of the Living" or "Rejuvenation Day".
Sol Azteca is a large restaurant and we weren't the only customers having a late dinner. Nevertheless, this photo gives you an idea of the decor in the dining room/area.
Sol Azteca makes the best Chorizo and Cheese Dip that we've found anywhere in the area! ($10.99) I borrowed this photo from a previous post because by the time we remembered to take a photo all we had to show of this appetizer was a bowl scraped clean of any contents.
Here are two of our entrees... Laurie only ordered a simple quesadilla. Note how 'small' the portions were! I have no idea what the name is of the first entree shown above.
But the second one was mine. It was the Burrito San Jose...a big burrito filled with pork and steak and then topped with chorizo sausage, then sided with Mexican rice and cheese covered refried beans... ($13.25) It was a 'meat lover's burrito' for sure! I managed to consume the burrito and all that meat...but failed when it came to the 80% of beans and all of the rice. Excellent!
And of course, we had to have a photo of Nathan and Janice at Sol Azteca. Other than Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill, we don't get too many visitors and we really enjoyed Janice and Nathan's time with us.
Sol Azteca Mexican Grill is located at 4263 US Hwy 411 in Madisonville Tennessee. They are open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Phone: 423-545-8080. Website: https://solaztecamexgrill.com/.

So...what else did we do and where did we go?
One stop was in Lenoir City Tennessee where we spent quite a big of time looking for deals at the Good Neighbor's Shoppe. This upscale and well run store offers nice recycled clothes for both adults and children, books, jewelry, furniture, home decor items and more...at great prices. Check out this charitable retail operation at https://www.gnshoppe.org/.
Next it was The Shoppes on the Square in downtown Loudon Tennessee. This store features individual booths that offer clothing, collectables, furniture, antiques, art, books, decor and much more. Website: http://www.theshoppesonthesquare.com/.
Our final stop for the day was at the Sweetwater Valley Farm complex near Philadelphia Tennessee. Hence the photo shown above! This large dairy farm offers tours of the farm's operations including milking and cheese making. This tourist attraction also features a restaurant that served a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches and dairy products; a gift shop and; a cheese shop with samples and a number of other gifts. We loaded up on a variety of cheeses... Website: https://sweetwatervalley.com/.
If you haven't been exposed to enough food already, you might appreciate this photo of Nathan's that caught yours truly in the process of grilling some nice big pork 'steaks' slathered with Famous Dave's Rich and Saucy BBQ Sauce.
Yes, this is a sight that Laurie and I rarely see... Sunrise over Tellico Lake. We normally go to bed late and get up late...8:30AM or 9AM. But, Nathan and Janice had a long drive ahead of them...all the way home from Loudon County Tennessee to Genesee County Michigan. They had to get an early start and Laurie took the opportunity to take the photo.
But, we were responsible for making their trip home a tad longer! We'd touted the Buc-ee's travel center in Richmond Kentucky...and apparently Janice and Nathan had carefully listened to our favorable comments. They'd never been to a Buc-ee's. Later we learned that this stop added 1 1/2 hours to the trips duration.
Buc-ee's stores are not your traditional gas station/quick stop along the highway. The stores are huge and the variety of items is stunning. Just the food selections offered will blow your mind. No trucks, clean bathrooms and low gas prices. You can learn more about Buc-ee's at https://buc-ees.com/.
...Nathan and his bride finally made it across the Ohio/Michigan state line. The lighting was already dimming. Note the almost bare trees while here in East Tennessee, we were pretty much 'greened out'. Laurie and I do like Michigan, especially in the summer. I was born there, I regard Jackson Michigan as my 'home town', and I lived in the state for the first 25 or 26 years of my life. I graduated from Michigan State University and we have enjoyed a number of vacations in this, the Great Lakes State. Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave