From Vanessa:

Does anyone else use pallets under their pile to help aerate? Beartrapper's suggestion to place the pile where you want to have a garden some day is excellent and will save you time eventually. I began work on a raised bed 2 years ago by framing and using it for compost. This spring, I'm finally going to be putting in plants. The spot is full of a dark, rich humus where before it was a plot of heavy clay, with no more effort on my part than throwing organic material there. And I'll reiterate what others have said: if it is inconvenient to walk to, you won't use it as you should. Go ahead and thow all that organic matter in one spot where it'll get some sun and it sure will turn into black gold. Will you put a layer of sticks or wire mesh over the pallets?