This is a story about traveling almost 4,000 miles to rove in the 2012 VHF Sweepstakes in East Texas.  (This was posted by N6NB, who operated with K5ME/R.)

For some years we have been watching the VHF contest successes of the Nacogdoches (TX) Amateur Radio Club.  Despite being in a town of only 33,000 people nowhere near any big city, this club has been turning in impressive scores year after year.

After talking with Army Curtis, AE5P, and Marshall Williams, K5QE, at the Central States VHF Conference in Dallas last summer, several of us accepted their invitation to join them for a VHF contest in East Texas.  Six Californians traveled there.  Five of us roved with Nacogdoches club members, using their call signs and helping out wherever we could.  The sixth visitor joined the team at K5QE's well-equipped multioperator station.

We were amazed by what we saw.  This small club had more than 20 members active in VHF SS, including about 15 who roved and five who operated at K5QE.  Several others got on at home.  We met some wonderfully dedicated and conscientious people during our week in Nacogdoches.  We hope to stay in touch with them for the rest of our days in amateur radio. We are very grateful for their hospitality.

This was a banner year for the Nacogdoches club, the rovers and K5QE.  The club, moving up from the local club category to "Division I-A," will have one of the very highest club scores in the country.  At least seven Nacogdoches members' calls will appear high in the national rover standings, and K5QE will have one of the top multioperator scores anywhere.

Even the weather was perfect--with temperatures in the 70s, no rain, and evenings warm enough for outdoor station-building.  It was a memorable experience.