Hot Time In Hopkinton Last Sunday

You may recall that I'd left the dogs back at the farm house early Sunday evening and drove off on a circuitous route toward the local convenience store in town, sightseeing as I went. Once I'd taken the local tour, I headed into the town of Hopkinton and found, wonder of wonders, A TRAFFIC JAM! There were cars clogging the (2) roads and a town green filled with people barbecuing and eating. Both sides of the highway were lined with parked cars and I could hear cheering and roaring engines. I parked and walked toward the commotion. This is what I discovered:

The Adirondack Truck And Trailer Pulling Association was having a major contest in Hopkinton and folks from all over had come to see it. Many families brought lawn chairs and many used their truck beds as platforms to get them a good view:

I saw giant farm tractors screaming and smoking as they tried to haul the sled toward the finish line:

When they'd gone as far as they could go, the sled was unhooked and their distance was measured:

With a cornfield as a background, lots of beer was consumed and lots of B.S.ing was done:

A lot of food was consumed beneath the big skies of the St. Lawrence valley:

It appeared that I'd arrived toward the end of the tractor pulling, so I only saw a few of them do their work:

But then the truck division began. This yellow truck, I heard the announcer say, was last year's champion. He hooked up to the sled and gunned his engine. Smoke, dust and the roar of his screaming engine filled the air:

He picked up some speed and was almost to the finish line:

But didn't quite make it. As you can see, the crowd applauded wildly. As for me, I had my faithful dogs waiting back at the farm house so I drove home. When I got back, I could hear the roaring engines all the way to my place: