As a part of college campus visit season, my father and I drove out to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on the week of November 7. I used the trip as an opportunity to clinch a good chunk of the Ohio River Scenic Byway, as well as also clinching I-74 in Ohio and Indiana. Pictures and recap can be found at my website:
Part 1 (Home to Huntington, WV): http://www.thing342.us/2014/11/trip-to-champaign-il-november-2014-part-1-of-2/ (http://www.thing342.us/2014/11/trip-to-champaign-il-november-2014-part-1-of-2/)
Part 2 (Huntington to Champaign, IL and Return Trip): Will be posted whenever I get the time to finish it.
You got your rivers mixed up, sir. The New River never makes it to Charleston, instead combining with the Gauley River at Gauley Bridge to form the Kanawha River (whose channel does continue that of the New). My quick glance shows 64 making four crossings of the Kanawha near Charleston, and one over the Elk River where it meets the Kanawha.