in the early 1900s the road system in the United States was an assortment of trails and country roads with colorful names such as the Ozark Trail, Lincoln Highway and Old National Trails. Most of these routes were connected by unpaved farm roads. In 1926 the Highway Department adopted a numbering system for all national roads. Highways going across the country in the northern states were given low numbers (such as 2, 12, 20) and highways across the southern states were given high numbers (70, 80, 99). Route 66 received a medium range number because it crossed diagonally through the middle of the country. It was decided Route 66 would go between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. It would include the cities of St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque and Flagstaff, Arizona.

 Towns and cities across America lobbied to be included on the major highway, just as towns tried to attract the railroad 50 years earlier. To be included on a major highway meant an instant stream of new business for their area. The path for Route 66 was designated by linking together a collection of lines on a map. Many of these roads were unpaved in 1926.

 These rural roads were given funding for pavement and improvement. It took until 1932 before all Route 66 had become a "hard surface road". Many routes were chosen to follow the easy grades of the railroad and avoided the straighter option of going over a mountain. During the next 20 years, Old Route 66 was straightened and improved with wider lanes to handle the increased traffic. The older routes were then discontinued and were no longer attached to the new alignments. Some of the original towns were bypassed, just as the modern interstate would bypass a majority of towns in the 1970s.

 When PAC Tour Cycles Route 66 we will be looking to travel as much of the original route as possible. Many of these sections cannot be reached by auto or motorcycle, so a bicycle is the perfect way to travel these roads. Some of these roads were discontinued after World War II and have not seen any traffic or maintenance since. Our route will travel a combination of paved and gravel roads. A bicycle with 32 mm tires is required to handle the rough sections and still be fast on the many paved roads. A hybrid or randonneur style bike is the perfect Route 66 bicycle. As we ride the Western Half of Route 66 from California to Amarillo, Texas, we are always looking for the remains of a closed bridge or overgrown pavement which hasn't been used in 50 years. Basically, if you don't like exploring gravel roads, this is not a good tour for you.

 Along the way we will be stopping to check out the best milkshakes, apple pie and hamburgers at the local cafés. Most evening we will include more Route 66 history lessons from local guest speakers and videos highlighting a section of the old road. Since we are staying at many authentic smaller motels, this tour will be limited to about 16 motel rooms or about 20 people. There could be additional overflow rooms available.