Zakar: The Place ADV Riders Go to Escape the Zombie Apocalypse
RawHyde's new 100-acre Adventure Park makes its debut at ADV Days 2019.
ADV Days 2019 was the inaugural event at Zakar and it was no easy feat to get the facility prepared for the more than 300 attendees (i.e. sold out!). RawHyde requested help from their training alumni with everything from demolition and clean up to carpentry and plumbing work to get Zakar prepared for it’s big day. More than 100 responded to the call. It was stressful getting the last few details in place before the opening, but the community of riders and staff came together to put on an impressive debut.
“Over the past year, we have been developing our new training facility in the Mojave Desert, called ZAKAR,” RawHyde owner Jim Hyde explained. “This is the first of its kind really, a true purpose-built adventure park for motorcyclists and 4×4 enthusiasts.”
Zakar features comfortable sleeping quarters for up to 32 people, a stage for live entertainment, a fully-stocked bar, a professional massage service area, and accommodations for an almost unlimited number of tent or RV campers. While its primary purpose is to host large gatherings of off-roaders of all types, the facility will eventually be used for RawHyde’s training and as an overnight stop for their guided motorcycle tours. They couldn’t have picked a better spot; just off the highway, a few hours from Los Angeles, and right in the center of some of the best adventure and dual sport riding in Southern California.
You can literally pick a direction and go with epic desert and mountainous terrain to ride for hours at Zakar. But RawHyde was nice enough to provide GPS routes for day rides out to unique destinations like Trona Pinnacles, the X-15 crash site, Burro Schmidt’s Tunnel, and more. There’s plenty to explore around camp too. Zakar was previously used as a film set so there are some interesting structures from that period that look like they were from a Star Wars or old western movie set. There is also the beginning of an off-road terrain park where 4×4 owners and motorcyclists can test their skills.
This year’s ADV Days boasted its largest vendor row yet with dozens of top adventure motorcycle companies showing off their wares to a large crowd. But with so many great riding opportunities, we did notice a few un-staffed booths during the day.
We also saw a lot of diversity in the different types of motorcycles at the event, with riders piloting everything from electric bikes, to two strokes, Africa Twins, and of course GSs. RawHyde also had their fleet of 2019 BMW R1250GS’s and F850GS’s available for participants to demo.
One of the biggest draws of ADV Days is always the opportunity to get some training from RawHyde coaches. Some of the classes on offer were Off-Road Basics, Sand Riding, and Skidding on Dirt.
There were also a wide range of seminars for adventure riders to expand their knowledge about traveling on a two wheels. Topics included GPS Navigation, First Aid Basics, Tire Changing Tips, and more.
One thing that didn’t quite go quite as expected was the cold weather — well cold for Southern California. It actually snowed on Thursday (rare in the desert) and the camping temperatures dipped into the high 20’s Fahrenheit. Luckily there was a bonfire and a large circus tent full of heat lamps for those looking to get their blood warmed up.
Overall, Zakar’s introduction to the public was a great success. RawHyde had hoped to do ADV Days at Zakar last year but scrubbed plans when they realized how much work it would take to get the facility fully prepared. Well they say you only get one chance to make a first impression, and for us it was worth the wait. Pretty much everyone we talked to was impressed with the three-day experience too.
If you didn’t make it out this year, we hope to see you at ADV Days 2020. If not then, we’ll probably see you when (not if) the Zombie horde comes to a town near you. So pack your bug out bag and print out a map to take you to Zakar. As long as you show up on two wheels and knobbies, you’re a shoo-in for getting through the gate.
The next big event held at Zakar will be the North American GS Trophy Qualifier May 30-June 2. Riders from all over Canada and the United States will be competing for three coveted spots in the 2020 GS Trophy in New Zealand! More details to come soon.
For more information visit rawhyde-offroad.com
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