Wow those Carpenter Ants sound like some big freaken ants!!!!!!
I know the little piss ants you're talking about; they may be tiny but their bite hurts like all hell. Got bit by one just yesterday!
Yes ant are fascinating; I liked how you wrote "was the equivalent of me dragging my car away on one shoulder" Made me laugh :)
Sometimes I just sit and watch them for a long spell. The things they drag into their hole, dang!