e e e e all right good afternoon everybody my gosh Governor what a beautiful day and look at the crowd I can look out and see Senators I see Senator Phillips I see Senator Stover I see delegate M maachi I got it right I've been saying that all day I'm going to butcher her name thank you for helping be there we've got our Sheriff of Logan County we got the mayor of Logan here we got members from our Eda Brenda's with us there's several other dignitaries in sight I can see secretary Ward I can see Tim Sadowski representing the Department of Transportation and uh oh gosh look at all the guys in Brown back there Governor so we we've got a great day planned and I tell you what this is uh a day we've been waiting on for quite a while you may have noticed on the way in the sign that says Hatfield McCoy access point we're finally finally proud to be able to say here we go so this has been a great collaboration the Department of Tourism led by Chelsea Ruby and her staff the division of Highways led by secretary wriston secretary Ward with the D Jeff Lusk Hatfield McCoy trails our DNR State Park section all have played a part in getting us here today and getting us to the Finish Line on this trail that we're so happy to finally see become a reality in this area and Governor what what we see as we look out at the lodge parking lot today I see a lot of empty parking spots we believe this is going to have a significant impact on the visitation at this park because now anybody that rides that be wallow section of Trail has direct access to this state park and that is a win for us I think so thank you for all your support I know that's something that that has been really big that we want to get as many people in our state parks as we can and this is just one way to do it especially in this area with the numbers of users of in this trail system and Jeff's going to come up in a minute and talk about it but this connector trail with the help of Jeff's team cost nearly $100,000 to put in and they designed this Trail to minimize impact with other users so that all user groups can enjoy this beautiful state park and I will tell you I know you can't join us on the trip but when we do get get you back you'll see some of the most breathtaking views on this connector trail that we have this is not such a Shabby view behind these these folks here either I know that's got my attention right now thinking about maybe could I hear an elk bugle in the distance you know we're not that far away I'm just kind of yapping about that but anyway this this trail system is phenomenal so Jeff would you come up and talk a little bit about it and how this thing happened and what your team has done the director said I only have an hour so I'll try not to use all of it so um and thank you director and and the director is right this is uh this has been a partnership and as you said I'm Jeffrey Lusk I'm the executive director of the hille McCoy trail system and this is a great day for state parks it's a great day for the hfield McCoy trails this connector it's going to increase ridership on our trail system it's going to create visitation to this state park it's going to increase the occupancy at your Lodge and last year our haille McCoy trail system sold over 90,000 permits 80% of those permits were sold to non-west Virginia residents that's 75,000 people now have the option of staying right here at Chief Logan State Park Lodge and riding out on our Trail and I'm going to tell you director I promise you that company's coming and uh this connector was built as I say with our staff we had Derek Browning who was over the layout and design of it we had our field crew from our bear Wallace system Taran con Chester perryer equipment operator and their supervisor C Scott these folks did an amazing job on building this and I think we ought to all give them a hand right now because they were the boots on the ground to get out and actually make this happen and with that uh I want to do one other thing which is uh thank the governor uh this will be probably my last opportunity Governor to to to thank you but uh Governor Justice one other hat I wear is I'm chairman of our state tourism advisory Council formerly the state tourism commission was appointed to that over seven and a half years ago by the governor and I will tell you of my 10 year and 30 some years in state government there's never been a governor more committed to tourism uh Governor Justice and his faith and wisdom appointed Chelsea Ruby seven and a half years ago to be our secretary of Tourism she has done an amazing job and Governor you have been a leader for the tourism industry in our state you are the state's number one cheerleader and the number one person out in front when we have t new tourism projects and I just want to say you know on behalf of the Hatfield McCoy trail system and every tourist destination in the state you are so appreciated by all of us for your commitment to tourism in West Virginia uh We've grown tourism every year while you've been at the helm it's going to continue to grow the Investments that have been made have just been amazing and on behalf of myself the hatville McCoy trail system and really every tourist attraction in the state want to say thank you for your leadership it's been huge and it's been a big reason West Virginia has become a tourism destination for folks all over the country and that 990,000 annual permit sold we wouldn't have hit that number without your leadership so thank you Jeff you're absolutely correct and and I will add your track record is proven as well we've had a long partnership at cway lingo State Forest and that trail system has been the one that that opened the door and we are very proud of it I believe wholeheartedly in everything that Jeff said that the visitation is coming and we do look forward to not this project but a couple of future projects we have talked about so hopefully hopefully we can get the governor to announce another one before he gets out of office or maybe even little ways down the road but Governor Jeff's right how how many times have you heard us say you're the only one that's invested the time and effort into tourism he is spot on there is no if ANS or buts Jeff and I both been around a long time and you are the guy that had to the belief that we could do these things and Governor we can't thank you enough and ladies and gentlemen let let me introduce the governor of this great state of West Virginia our friend Jim Justice gosh you know it's uh if I were to be brutally honest with you I would just tell you just this it's been it's been the honor of my life you know to be your governor in many many many ways but I I can tell you that uh someway somehow you got to keep it going because we have made real strides and I would tell you whether that you're our Senators or our house members or secretaries or Mayors or whatever all of you and all you great people in the back you you you make us look so good over and over and over and over now just stay with me just one second because this is something that is so easy for me to talk from you know in the very beginning days I really honestly believe with all in me that uh God above uses all of us all the time to do whatever we do and I really truly believe that he speaks to me and he tells me the good ideas and I'll take credit for the bad ones but really with all that being said lo and behold it was so obvious you know sometime I'll start writing books and I really think the title of most all the books would be the easy stuff is always the toughest stuff to find because when it becomes easy I mean think of the inventions that you see on automobiles or wherever it may be everything all the time and you could say well I could have thought of that you know it's all right in front of us but sometimes it's really really tough to see who in the world could have why in the world didn't we before say well wait a minute here we're located within a rock throw at two-thirds of the population of this country absolutely we have four of the most beautiful seasons on the planet the most pristine air and Waters all over the place we abound in natural resources like we can't imagine and you you are so good it's unbelievable you really are why in the world had we not seen that and then you needed kind of a leader of the band that was just crazy enough to turn a bulldog's butt to the camera and on and on and on but you needed you needed a leader of the band that could tell the world exactly what we absolutely already should have known that we are the best we are the best beyond belief all you've got to do is open your eyes and look around look around at your neighbor how good of people we are low crime faith-based good people you know the world now has gotten to where it honestly is just this it doesn't matter what's right and wrong it matters just what you can get by with well that's not us it's never been us and with all that being said just again this this one step $100,000 is a lot of money $100,000 at one time and I I hate to say this and I'm not I'm not dishing you know you know previous administrations but just just think of what we do today my God 11 Liv you know it's we're talking in hundreds of millions and tens of millions and even billions you know and and not long ago we celebrated a ribbon cutting at a Taco Bell in Charleston that wasn't me but lit literally there is so much happening right in front of us right now it's off the chart in West Virginia slang who could have ever th it who could have really ever thought it that West Virginia of all places would be on worldwide travel guides they saying that's the place you need to go are you kidding me but we knew it I sure knew it and I really believe that God above said okay this is one of the real things you got to do you've got to be able to convince the world just how good all these people really are you know the bad jokes have stopped haven't they they really have and absolutely you are the diamond don't forget it don't forget it at all a few years back I could have come to you and here's what I could have said tell you what Let's do let's all load up and let's go to New York City tonight and let's go the Fest restaurant up there and everything and what would you have thought many of you many of you still even at this moment you may have thought and I could I can understand this well what am I going to wear then a lot of the a lot of the next thoughts is well you know those people are really fancy and they're really good and they're really smart and you know they don't talk like we talk and I don't know I don't really feel really comfortable doing that and I I just don't want to hold my head that high are you kidding me you kidding me you're the Envy of those people you're the Envy of every last one and if they could see this and they could see what's going on in your neighborhood and they could see how you live you're the Envy of all of them don't forget it don't forget it absolutely be proud be so proud you can't stand it and teach your kids to absolutely dream and shoot for the moon and then some don't anybody here ever forget just this that little Jimmy Justice had brown hair and he was skinny at one time and little Jimmy Justice every time he every every time he ever visited his grandparents that were my mom's mom and dad and they were my grandparents on that side they never had indoor pluming and every time I ever visited my my dad's mom and dad and stayed with them over and over and over for weeks and weeks on end they lived in a little house in ceron West Virginia it had one bedroom and one bathroom literally if Little Jimmy Justice can do this and our families can do what we're doing all across the board any of your kids can do anything dream as dream as big as you can ever dream so with all that being said just keep doing it if you want to come up here and say hi to baby dog you know I'll sit right here and we'll say hi to you and everything before we leave but uh again I I can never ever thank you enough and I mean it you know it'd be nice for me to sit here and Pat myself on the on the back and say look what you did Jim look what you did but that's not the case that's not the case honestly it wasn't a case in Co it wasn't the case in everything we've done we've all pulled this rope together and we made it happen and we ought to be damn proud of ourselves it's all is to it I thank you for letting me pull it with you and that's all is to it we've done good stuff thank y'all thank you Governor that was awesome and you know what before we could even pull the rope with you you had to be the guy that provided us the rope and the opportunity to do so so again we can't thank you enough so folks we've got two things left we definitely want to get our ribbon cut but uh before before we go over there while the governor's got the star of the show actually sitting here the staff at Chief Logan State Park chipped in and uh got a little gift for baby dog and and to be honest there's no gift for me it's always baby doll so that's what they told me Valerie they're sitting right there with the black shirts on they didn't want to come up because they were they would they were afraid you'd be jealous over over the gift I told them I told them I'd do Val you want to come up and give this oh a logo Chief Logan State Park toy oh busy mod awesome [Music] [Laughter] see how she's on the same diet that I'm on oh thank you sir and while Valerie's getting those treats ready for baby dog any of you that would like to try some of the treats over under the other West Virginia state park tent please do so they are courtesy of Chief Logan State Park and any of you that want to go on this inaugural ride after we do the ribbon cut please take time to fill out the waiver and get your helmet ready we will have utvs available for any and all that want to go on this ride it's about four and a half miles to the top and back uh actually be nine miles round trip so it's going to take a hour and a halfish maybe two hours but it's going to be a beautiful view and well worth your time so having said that Jeff why don't you and maybe our local senators and delegates come up and let's cut this ribbon e we need a drum roll count it down two okay got to make it [Applause] [Music] did you see those Ball Fields as you were coming in e e