First licensed in 1988, I have been fairly active in HF nets and contests; but in 1995 the VHF bug bit and I started a real adventure.  Art, K1BX (then K1LL/0) and Mark, WB0OAJ helped me through the first steps in gaining an appreciation for weak signal work in the 1995 ARRL June VHF QSO Party.  I made the photos Up Front in QST in the December '95 issue.  Later that year Al, W0PUF and I made five contacts during the ARRL EME contest.  We used the Black Hills Amateur Radio Clubs' 10 meter dish on 144 MHz and, boy was that weak signal.  Since then I have strived for the largest VHF+ station that I could muster under the given circumstances but will always long for some acreage and freedom to stick up some 45 and go.  The photo is from when we lived in Evergreen at 9000 feet ASL.  This made my third place QRP finish in the 2006 CQWW VHF contest my greatest contest accomplishment yet.