Travelin teddy bear bebops by Blackwell

“There’s a bear walking down Doolin!” A man wearing a bear costume caught the attention of local social media users last week when he made his way through Blackwell on his route from Los Angeles to New York.

Posts and photos began to flood Blackwell Facebook pages, as families stopped to pose with the cute bear mascot and pick his big, cuddly brain about why he was walking through Oklahoma on a hot 95-degree afternoon.

“I’ve been walking for about 68 days now,” Jesse Larios, who goes by “Bearsun,” said as cars passed by him on the Chikaskia River bridge east of Blackwell.

“In July, I was crossing the Mojave, so this heat out here really isn’t bothering me much.” Bearsun told The Blackwell Journal-Tribune he is walking across America to raise money and awareness for a variety of causes, including the disabled community, cancer, mental health, autism and the environment. According to his official website, iambearsun.com, more than $4,000 has been raised through his GoFundMe account.

“I should be in New York by November,” Bearsun said. “It can be difficult, but it’s so worth it for a good cause.”

The traveling teddy said he gets by with the help and kindness of complete strangers.

“There are people that follow the route online, and they’ll set me up for the night or there will be meet and-greets set up for me to meet some fans that have been keeping up with me across the website, Twitter, or my Instagram,” he said. Bearsun updates his passionate followers regularly.

He can be tracked via @iambearsun on Twitter and Instagram. The activist travels with a tent and a backpack, walking anywhere between 20 and 30 miles a day before camping for the night.