The Pacific Northwest Cycling Association was founded in 1940 by a group of racing cyclists and University of Washington students who had purchased some of the new "lightweight" English bicycles imported to Seattle prior to World War II. The increased popularity of recreational cycling dovetailed with the growing youth hostel movement in the Puget Sound area and British Columbia area, providing inexpensive overnight accommodations for these young adventurers. By 1941, PNCA was the third largest bike club in the U.S. and the Northwest representative for American Youth Hostels, with members taking excursions - biking, hiking, canoeing, and on trains - throughout Washington State and into British Columbia.

In this photo, a group of young cyclists pose with their bikes at the Snohomish train station, having either just arrived for a bike tour, or about to return home to Seattle.

Signs on building: "Snohomish" and "Railway Express Agency"
Handwritten on verso: PCNA 1940 - took train to Snohomish, biked around, and returned by train. Hardier souls would bike the entire way there and back.