Designer & bike rider in British Columbia, Canada

Learning to Drive

I am learning to drive a manual transmission as we truck across America. Although I’ve driven extensively for 12 years, and have owned two cars in that time, I never had the opportunity to own or command a stick.
Scott is teaching me how in his ’91 Nissan pickup.

The first lesson in first gear was at a gravel pit in Salmo, BC. I soon graduated to highway driving in Montana and South Dakota, including a stall at slightly-inclined intersection and a few starts in second.
We’ve been doing a lot of war driving (looking around for open wireless internet networks) so that’s given me a lot of start/stop practice in small towns across the American heartland.
I even did some crawling in heavy traffic outside Chicago. My favourite gears are third and fourth.


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6 Responses to “Learning to Drive”

  1. Dylan Avatar

    I used to do starts in second all the time. But they were more of the “rolling stop” variety. I’ve also occasionally started in third, and driven away no problem, but with a lot of wasted gas.

  2. Driving Instructor Avatar

    What an eye opener it is to learn to drive a manual car after 12yrs of automatic car driving.
    Here in the UK, manual cars are the norm, and I only conduct my driving lessons in manual cars, though there are instructors who teach in automatics as well.

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    OK you guys – where are the GPS maps? We want to see the route, and the speed log!
    DadB

  4. Jenn Avatar
    Jenn

    Ha ha, “My favorite gears are third and fourth.” Jeff you are priceless. If you ever get back to Salmo call me, I am only a mere 1/2 hour from that pit.

  5. vanessa Avatar
    vanessa

    i’ve lately been yearning to drive stick. almost every car in east africa is a beat up old toyota with a manual gearbox. i kind of imagine it being like driving a really boxy bicycle…? but i haven’t been brave enough yet – not excited to stall in the middle of a psychotic roundabout in nairobi where little boys steal your side mirrors.

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