Paradise Ponds

About Paradise Ponds

On the low ground where the Smoky Hill River bends closest to Ellsworth, ice forms first and thickest, and the driveways backed up against that bend are the ones Paradise Ponds reaches earliest after a cold night. The crew works the river-close streets before moving up toward the higher ground near downtown, where the sun handles more of the work on its own. Culverts and ditch lines along the way get extra attention, since that's where meltwater refreezes hardest once the temperature drops again after dark. Walks and steps are finished afterward by hand, swept rather than just pushed to one side. On a short winter day the light comes up slow over the river bend, well after this crew has already made its way past the water's edge and back into town.