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Nestled a few miles just northeast of the Southern California Desert town of Mojave, “Zakar” is the newest training facility of Jim Hyde’s RawHyde Adventures and the site of this year’s ADVenture Days event.
Zakar is ideally located near many awesome off/on-road Mojave Desert riding opportunities. The facility emits a “post-apocalyptic” vibe with converted Conex containers repurposed into classrooms, bathrooms (with proper showers), a large kitchen, offices, and just about everything you can think of. So far there are 34 beds to house students and participants in 3−4 bed single story style bunkhouses and repurposed containers. In addition, there’s plenty of camping and overlanding spots to make your temporary home amongst the desert flora.
The ADVenture Days’ Zakar launch event drew 350 plus participants. Along with the vendors, Jim Hyde and his team did a fantastic job setting up their desert fortress for all things adventure-travel related. There were even demos of a new two-wheel drive electric bike design to try it out. With its two-wheeled propulsion it railed on the obstacle course—awesome and fun stuff!
Although it was a “soft launch” just about everything was already dialed in. Attention to detail was seen everywhere, and the event was run with tight ship precision right down to the tissue boxes on the mess hall tables (thank you Stephanie Hyde) to halt the runny noses in the early morning temperatures that hovered around 30°F. They even provided spare towels and soap, and plenty of bottled water in the mess hall to keep us hydrated in the low humidity desert environment. Did I mention it was catered? The food was delicious in a dining area kept warm by plenty of portable LP gas heaters. And, just as it was posted at the centrally located itinerary board with each day’s events, fresh coffee was served promptly at 6:30 a.m.
During the day, there were an abundance of classes and demos for all to experience. Such as demoing a new compact and lightweight fire extinguisher that utilizes a different chemical compound to put out a fire that takes up minimal space on a bike. Also, a class on the essentials to have on a bike for backcountry adventure travel. And my favorite, riding in deep sand with a heavily laden adventure bike. There were also group rides to local points of interest. And to make things even more interesting, Jim had constructed a permanent off-road obstacle course for both bikes and 4X4 rigs—designed by a Camel Trophy team member.
Nightly bonfires kept the cold at bay while we were serenaded by the fabulous “E&O Medicine Show,” featuring Owen on electric violin and Evan on guitar. These guys are not only ace RawHyde instructors, they’re extremely talented musicians! On Saturday night, RawHyde brought in a four-piece band during happy hour and dinner. The bar was well stocked with adult beverages, soft drinks and laughter to complement our entertainment. As well as the band inside the mess hall tent, outside, RawHyde hosted lady fire dancers, a spectacle we all enjoyed.
The event also partnered with the Sportsmobile crowd who share many common DNA with our own ADVMoto community. It was a good match as we resonate the same spirit of adventure travel and have a lot in common. And, it turns out that they were just as curious about our adventure bikes as we of their overlanding rigs, many of which take part in both genres. In total, there were over 45 sponsors and well-known vendors spaced throughout the compound with products on hand to sell at discounted “event special” pricing.
By the way, Jim told me that his plans for Zakar are not only as a training facility, but that he’ll make it available for product launches or adventure-styled events.
After experiencing this annual event—ADVenture Days—I look forward to next year’s and I hope it will be held at this same facility with its talented staff.
