The first thing you see is the flash of flashing blue lights, reflecting off the distant brow of the hill.
A minute later, the headlights flash and then the horns sound. Finally it all comes into view.
Ahead of us, a column of tractors rolls down the A4 motorway, one of the main roads linking Paris to the rest of France.
Rush hour is barely over, but tractors are the only moving vehicles I can see other than two police cars driving alongside me.
The highway is blocked; Only these tractors move.
Behind me, the applause and cheers of a large group of cultivators had already taken up positions, blocking the road in both directions.
Farmers are having fun after joining the barrier. Photo: AP
The bush on the side of the highway was ablaze, while, to my right, a flame of orange smoke billowed across the road.
In the middle of all this, a tractor driver uses his horn to play the Baby Shark tune.
Given the seriousness of these protests, there is an air of celebration among those who have just arrived.
Maybe they're a little delirious. These tractors have come a long way to reach Gosigny, on the outskirts of Paris.
They traveled from the eastern flank of France – from the vicinity of the Moselle, near the border with Germany.
A trip of more than 200 miles in a vehicle traveling at about 25 mph could be enough to turn anyone into a Baby Shark.
But their goal is very dangerous.
“It breaks my heart to have to do this,” Antoine says as he gets off his tractor.
Photo: Reuters
He says he is tired of politicians ignoring the country's farmers, a popular complaint.
“I think you need coffee after that trip,” I suggest.
“Beer,” he answers with a tired smile. He doesn't expect to do any more driving for a while.
Tractors are parked two at a time along the road, with enough room for emergency vehicles to pass.
There are also trailers, a few pickup trucks, and even a harvester.
Photo: AP
Banners and slogans hang from many of them – “Our business is your food” is a typical theme.
Another says: “We are tired but determined.”
Many of the tractors were adorned with the familiar rectangular signs announcing the city's name, but hung upside down — an ever-more familiar sign of farmers' anger across the country.
On the highway, a marquee has been set up providing chairs and warmth.
Simmer a large pot of boiling water over the stove while the potatoes and onions are prepared.
This doesn't sound like the kind of protest that will simply end after a few hours.
Farmers, after all, are used to a little hardship.
Read more:
Hundreds of tractors heading towards Paris
Anger is boiling among Europe's farmers – and it won't take long for it to boil over
Farmers relax on the A4 highway in Gosinj. Photo: AP
He is good natured. Police officers who accompanied the tractors are offered coffee and stop to chat before leaving.
Trucks driving over a nearby bridge sound their horns in support.
A man stands in a tractor shovel and is lifted to the height of a highway bridge, so he can spray paint his union's name.
At the moment, this is a show of force aimed at intimidating and pressuring the French government.
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From January 24: Why do farmers block roads in France?
The assumption is that if the farmers' demands are not met, they will move toward Paris, tightening their grip on the capital.
In fact, some of those we spoke to seemed reluctant to commit, knowing that the police's good sense of humor would eventually run out if Paris came under a real threat.
But this is a decision for tomorrow, and for the day after that.
These farmers have spent years bemoaning that their complaints were ignored but now things have changed.
It's hard to ignore the army of tractors surrounding one of the most famous cities in the world.
