The streets that climb away from the Rock River hold snow longer than the flats do, and a driveway on that grade is no small thing at six in the morning. Plowing starts early here, blade down before the coffee is cold, so people can back out and go to work without a shovel in their hands; walks get cleared and salted where meltwater runs back and freezes. Come April the same routes turn green and the work changes hands — mowing, trimming, edging, and cleanups that carry off the winter's grit and broken twigs. It is plain work with a visible result, which is the entire point of it. Dixon, Sterling, Rock Falls and Amboy make up the round.