Pocatello

Pocatello itself was dire. DIRE. Most of it’s like a huge, singlestorey industrial estate. The “old historic town” part is like the Marie Celeste. Most businesses already closed, the few remaining on their last legs. The only one with customers was the thrift shop. We parked up for two hours and were back in the car within two minutes it was so depressing. The local authority seems to have a lot to answer for, apparently, as they make it so difficult for new businesses to open in these old buildings, with their strict health and safety rules. There’s a website about it. Hope, for the town’s sake, someone will see sense.
The big excitement was that the street opposite the hotel had been closed down and taken over for the week while “The Extreme Makeover” TV programme was doing its stuff. Being America, the owners are sent on vacation and the house is actually demolished and rebuilt, decorated, refurnished etc. All in a week. So the area was heaving with trucks and tents and people in Extreme Makeover teeshirts and clusters of residents peering over the barriers.