Dry gas

People who knew me when I lived in D.C. have likely heard my Dry Gas Rant. For those of you who missed it, it goes roughly like this:

I don't know why I can't find dry gas anywhere around here. In New England, you can walk into any gas station, ask if they have dry gas, and they'll show you where it is, and they might even have a whole section of it.
In Washington, it's like they've never heard of it, and when you try to describe it, they look even more confused.
What? You know, dry gas. Dry gas. It's basically a little bottle of rubbing alcohol you dump into your gas tank* to evaporate the water so it doesn't freeze in the line.
You know, dry gas.

I had that conversation so often when I lived (just barely) below the Mason-Dixon line that I started to wonder if I had exaggerated in my mind how ubiquitous it was up here, or if I had maybe made up dry gas (OK, not really, because I could find it in D.C., a couple of dusty bottles at a time, in auto parts stores).
I didn't need it often, because it rarely gets cold enough to really need it down there, but it makes me feel insecure not to have it on those rare occasions when it is that cold.
You'll all be relieved to know that I have wandered into about five gas stations in three northern states looking for dry gas since I moved, and been directed right to it every time.



*Do not literally dump rubbing alcohol in your gas tank. I considered it, often, but if you damage your car or kill yourself doing that, I will not be held responsible. Though I will be very glad if people with any actual knowledge of cars or chemistry use the comments to discuss what would happen.