Hi, My husband and I drove U.S. Route 50 between Athens, OH and Winchester, Virginia several years ago. I really liked our drive especially the section of the road which followed the Cheat River. The scenery was lovely. The route passes through a southern section of Maryland and Backbone Mountain. Our destination was Shenandoah National Park. We liked this route so well, that we drove it a second time returning from a Washington, DC vacation. I did not find any portion of this route threatening. However, I will ALWAYS recommend not traveling via an interstate.