Texas ARDF - 2016 United States ARDF Championships

Location: Parrie Haynes C5 Youth Ranch
Ranch entrance: 30.999643, -97.850772
Hilltop Complex: 30.999693, -97.861255
General directions from Killeen: Take State Highway 195 (also known as Fort Hood Road) south from Killeen. Turn right (west) on FM 2670. Turn right (north) on N. Maxdale Road. In about 1000 feet, turn left onto Gann Branch Road, a gravel/caliche road. Follow signs all the way to the end of the road, about 2 miles (3.5 km). The entrance to the ranch will have a gate. If it is closed, the gate code will be on a card at the keypad. As of April 7, the code was "5555".
Maxdale Road is a caliche/gravel road between Clear Creek Road (State Highway 201) at its northern end and Million Dollar Road (it is a paved surface from Million Dollar Road onward to the south.) Gann Branch Road is also a caliche/gravel road for its entire length between Maxdale Road and the C5 Youth Ranch Hilltop Complex. You will not need four-wheel drive to traverse the roads, but you might wish to drive slower to avoid the occasional pothole or bump. Maxdale Road is a public road with a 40 MPH speed limit on the gravel/caliche section. Gann Branch Road is a private road with a 30 MPH speed limit.
If you are approaching the ranch from the southeast on FM 2670 from Ding Dong, the signage will indicate that Maxdale Road continues straight and North Maxdale Road is a right turn. You want to turn right on North Maxdale Road.
Directions from Maxdale Road: Competitors should drive the length of Gann Branch Road, a gravel/caliche surface outside of the ranch (paved after the Ranch entrance gate), from Maxdale Road to the Hilltop Complex, which will be the parking area and close to the start and finish areas. The road can be traversed by any vehicle, but you should allow 10 minutes to get from Maxdale Road to the Hilltop Complex. You will cross a total of three cattle guards on your drive: one outside of the Ranch, one at the Ranch entrance gate, and one near the Hilltop Complex. Drive over these slowly, especially the first one. There are two forks/intersections on the way. Outside of the Ranch, one is signed "Ware" to the left and "PHR" to the right - head right. The other is inside the ranch, where you should turn left to go to the Hilltop Complex.

Schedule

NOTE: We are asking all competitors to NOT turn on their 80 meter receivers from the time you enter the ranch until you pick up the receiver out of impound.
9:00 AM Competitors arrive and park at the Hilltop Complex at the end of Gann Branch Road. Competitors should bring both 3.5 MHz and 144 MHz receivers with them. Park in the vicinity of the large grass field just south of the large open-air pavilion. The Longhorn Lodge, a building due east of the pavilion will be the waiting area and impound. The start area where you collect maps will be a short walk from the Longhorn Lodge - follow the pink streamer tape and/or signs.
9:30 AM Equipment impound at Longhorn Lodge.
10:00 AM First start. Cometitors will be called up six minutes prior to their start time. There will be a 60 minute time limit for this competition.
Start List
List of transmitters to find
12:00 PM All competitors have finished.
12:00 PM Catered lunch.
1:00 PM Competitor Meeting. Following the competitor meeting, both 3.5 MHz and 144 MHz transmitters will be placed in the woods, using power levels and transmit sequences consistent with what will be used in the classic-length competitions on Saturday and Sunday. Competitors will use this opportunity to verify operation of their equipment.
4:00 PM All transmitters turned off.

Map Notes

Safety Bearing: South to Gann Branch Road, then west to the Hilltop Complex.
The map will be 8.5 x 11 inches (21.6 cm x 28 cm), landscape orientation, at 1:5000 scale with five (5) meter contours. Exclusion areas around the start and finish will be marked on the maps.
Most established trails on the Parrie Haynes Ranch are double-track (created by two horseback riders side-by-side.) Most are also blazed with either painted rocks or colored streamer tape tied to tree branches about 6 feet (2 meters) above ground. A few of the trails on the map are relatively new and may be easiest to follow by using the streamers. Some trails in the blocks that are predominantly grassland are mowed.
Anywhere you are walking on trails used by horses, take care to avoid holes and ruts caused by horses walking through mud that has dried.
There is trail access to the Lampasas River from the Hilltop Complex for those who want to wade/swim. Swimming is at your own risk.
The map for Parrie Haynes Ranch was created in 2015-2016 by Jennifer Harker.

Horses

At Parrie Haynes Ranch, most trails are used for horseback riding. We are not expecting a large number of riders on Friday.

Hikers give way to bikers and horse riders.
Bikers give way to horse riders.
Some parts of the trails show damage from horse traffic.
You may also encounter all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

Course Setters Notes

Slow Control Transmitter Frequency: 3.510 MHz
Spectator/Homing Beacon Transmitter Frequency: 3.540 MHz
Fast Control Transmitter Frequency: 3.570 MHz
Prior to your start, we ask that runners stay at or near the large picnic pavilion, but definitely within sight of the buildings.

Send comments to: Ken Harker WM5R wm5r@wm5r.org
Last updated: 17 April 2016