West Virginia - Overview

We have what they call de-stressor week at work and for the first time in a while, I'm not terribly busy with my projects for this de-stressor week, so I decided to take some time off. Of course, I'll have my laptop with me (anyone who knows me knows that I'm not very good at disconnecting), but I am not anticipating a whole lot coming up.

Last year, I stumbled across a fairly new initiative by the West Virginia Department of Tourism to install "Almost Heaven" Swings around the state. They started in 2022 with 9 of them and they're up to 43 right now. Sounds like an adventure for sure! But how can I get to 43 locations using the best possible route? Google maps only lets you plot 10 stops, and even then you have to move them around to optimize your route. I poked around a bit and found a site called Routific. It's really for businesses making deliveries, but I signed up for the free 1-week trial to see if I could make it work for me. After a little fumbling around, I figured out how to add "orders" (locations) with the "customer name" (name of location) and address. You can add them individually or upload using a spreadsheet. Then you can schedule the "deliveries". Lo and behold, I had an optimal route. I added all 43 of the Almost Heaven Swings and 43 Waterfalls being promoted by the WV Department of Tourism (there is some overlap between the two, so it was < 86 stops). I also added some restaurants and points of interest. Not sure if I'll hit them all, but when I'm in the area, I'll know that they're nearby and can make an impromptu decision. I have 99 stops planned in Routific. Let's see how many I make it to!

43 Almost Heaven Swings