"Get it in gear!"

Cruising along unloaded down a two-lane highway, speed 45mph (that's 7 HI in this 18 speed at 1300 RPM) and the instructor tells me he wants me to make a left ahead - that's an easy 3rd gear turn and I start dropping gears. 7 HI to LO, then down to 6th, then I'm slowing to go to 5th when a car starts pulling into where I need to turn. So I'm going to need to stop on the highway so I concentrate on just slowing down now (can't operate the accelerator and brake at the same time) but I'm in Neutral. I figure I'll get slowed down, then come in on 4th, then 3rd, then if the car is out of my way I can make my turn. Of course, this is a no-no because now I'm coasting more than a truck length out of gear. "Get it in gear! Get it in gear!" So I'm grinding trying to catch 4th, but I'm moving too fast for it to just go in, but I have to take my foot off the brake to RPM up, and then I'm not slowing fast enough anymore. Fun times. I do catch 4th, then 3rd, then 2nd, car clears and I make my turn, but I get an ear-full for grinding gears and, of course, being out of gear. Gah, bad day.

 

Oh, we don't get to float gears or skip gears when the instructors are paying attention, so you have to double-clutch every gear down.

 

I hope I get better sooner rather than later.