"On July 7, 1919, an extraordinary cavalcade of military motor vehicles set off from the White House on an epic journey. Their goal was California, and ahead lay 3,250 miles of dirt, mud, rock, and sand. Stretching more than two miles long, the convoy included trucks, cars, motorcycles, ambulances, machine shops, and mobile kitchens. All told, there were eighty-one vehicles and nearly three hundred men. Two months later they arrived in San Francisco, having averaged just five miles an hour.

Known as the First Transcontinental Motor Train, this trip was an adventure, a circus, a public-relations coup, and a war game all rolled into one. As road conditions worsened it also became a daily battle of sweat and labor, guts and determination.".

"American Road is the story of this incredible journey. Proposed by the government to crystallize the need for good roads, the motor train had among its participants a young officer named Dwight Eisenhower. Having just missed the war in Europe, and looking for an adventure, Ike signed on at the last minute for a trip that would profoundly influence his life. Four decades later, as president, he launched the building of the interstate highway system."--BOOK JACKET.