Scott "Sugar Bear" Brown came home from Iraq after 9/11 hoping to spend time with his dying father. His father no longer recognized him.

Years later, Alzheimer's claimed Brown's aunt, his mother's twin sister. Now the 62-year-old Katy entomologist and grandfather is somewhere on America's back roads, riding in a motorcycle endurance challenge with no GPS, no hotels and no guarantee he'll finish.

Brown departed Woodstock, Illinois, at 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, as one of more than 250 riders in the 2026 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, according to the Katy Times. Brown estimates his route at roughly 11,000 miles; the official challenge route is over 10,000 miles. The biennial event is considered one of North America's most grueling endurance rides. Competitors navigate using only written turn-by-turn directions revealed at checkpoints, sleep outdoors in church parking lots or gas stations, and must cover at least 500 miles a day on American-made V-twin motorcycles.

Brown is raising money for the Alzheimer's Association through its Do What You Love fundraising program. He had raised $2,375 toward his $3,000 goal before the ride began.

"I ride in memory of my father and my aunt, and I hope every mile helps another family facing Alzheimer's know they are not alone," Brown said in late July, ahead of his departure.

This is Brown's third attempt at the challenge. He withdrew in 2022 after roughly 6,000 miles due to medical issues. In 2024, he finished, covering 10,070 miles in 16 days from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Homer, Alaska, riding through Hurricane Debby's outer bands along the way. A roadside encounter with a fellow rider during that stretch turned into a cross-country partnership; the two are riding together again this year.

To prepare for 2026, Brown trained for 18 months with the F3 Nation men's fitness group in Katy and at his daughter and son-in-law's home gym. He lost significant weight, built endurance and logged numerous 1,500-mile training rides along Texas and Gulf Coast back roads. F3 Nation is a free men's fitness group active in more than 46 states.

Brown, a pest-control entomologist with more than 30 years in the industry, first learned about the Hoka Hey Challenge in 2009 while working as a civilian contractor on U.S. military installations in Iraq. He carried the idea for more than a decade before attempting it.

Friends and YouTube followers know him as "Sugar Bear" (@SugarBearAdventures). A team of supporters across the Houston area is tracking his progress.

The ride is still underway as of Thursday, Aug. 6. In 2024, Brown completed the challenge in 16 days, which would put a similar finish around Aug. 18 at Woodstock Harley-Davidson. Neighbors who want to contribute can donate through his Alzheimer's Association fundraising page at events.alz.org or call 1-800-272-3900.