I used to run Hawk's Nest a lot, because I just liked it. Even after I-64 was finished between Sam Black Church and the West Virginia Turnpike I would still go that way a lot. It was a "piece of cake" to me then because I had "a big motor and a Jake Brake" as compared to going across there in an F model with a 300/5 speed. Went across there many times in that F model with an almost 50,000 lb. load of coils out of Armco in Middletown going to either Modine in Buena Vista or Walker Muffler in Harrisonburg.
I used to run up rt. 60 to Charmco, then rt. 20 to rt. 39 at Nettie, then 39 over to rt. 19 at Summerville, and 19 north to I-79 all the time too when I was going to Erie or the Pittsburgh area.
If I was going north on I-81 I'd get off at the Broadway exit a lot and take rt. 259 to 48 to 50 to 220 to 68. I'd come back that way too, I'd take 51 out of Pittsburgh down to Uniontown, then rt. 40 to Keyser's Ridge. Man, there's some steep hills across there- most not that long, but really steep. I mean low side of the transmission with a 550 Cat steep.
Then 219 and 560 back to 50, to 93, 220, 259 and back to Lynchburg. According to my log book it always to me 5 hours to get to Harrisonburg, I'd take a 30 minute break there, then drive 2 more hours to Lynchburg.
...and then somebody came up with this e-log thing and put a stop to all that. Ran the Pa. Pike up and back after that, at great expense to everyone except the Pa. Pike. 🤣