After years of long winter months of Seattle's nonstop stop rain and a sun which refused to shine, I packed up my car and followed the sun to the warmth of San Diego. I was not disappointed; the city was blessed with 12-months of sunshine with an an average temperature between 55 to 75 degrees.

Nestled on the far eastern border of Washington State, Spokane was originally the home of The Spokans ("children of the sun"), who were drawn to the hunting grounds and abundance of salmon in the Spokane River. This changed with the arrival of the first European settlers who established a trading post and eventually a railroad industry that built the city.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Traveling Boy’s Thanksgiving issue in November 2013 issue. Our site was in its salad years when esteemed travel, food and wine journalist John Blanchette joined our staff, dramatically taking our site to the next level. This article serves as a testament to John’s graciousness and remarkable talent. May he continue to rest in …