I spoke to  what  sounded  like a very friendly  male park ranger ar Waterloo  Recreation  Area just  a bit  ago. I got the cabin lock combination, confirmed  restrooms  will be open, learned where  firewood can be purchased   (in  the park if rangers are on duty, otherwise a “party store”  a half mile away sells wood, too).

I read  some place  that “party store” is a colloquial term kind of unique to Michigan and basically  means “convenience  joint  that sells hooch.” I want to take this moment to thank  my lucky stars I live in a state  where it’s  fairly  simple  to just go on a “booze run.” Laws regarding  the sale of alcohol  vary widely from state to state, with some states  only selling liquor in “special” stores (called ABC stores in Virginia). You  can’t  just  run  into  a store in every  state and expect to buy  a bottle of vodka  – or high-proof grain  alcohol (which is not easy to find in Michigan). Grain alcohol now has a restraining order  against me because  of the 2009 “Kentucky Incident” which  I will never speak of again   (lol).

Some  states  even  have  “wet” and “dry” counties. Plan  to camp  in  Kentucky? Know well in advance  where you  can buy  booze (if not from  some hillbilly’s private still). You  may have to drive into “the next  county over” if you’re  in a “dry county.”

It’s  always good to have a store nearby  when  you’re  on  a camping/cabin trip! You  might  find  yourself too lazy to make  morning coffee, might need a bag of ice, might need ginger  ale  for your hangover  and (gasp) you just might…run out  of  booze!

Can’t have  THAT now!