Laddie Williams is in the middle of a bike ride from Palm Springs, California to Charleston, South Carolina.
Williams is a firefighter in Augusta, Georgia, who embarked upon this journey to raise money for the families of the nine Charleston firefighters who died fighting a June 18, 2007 blaze at a furniture warehouse. No incident since 9-11 had claimed so many firefighters’ lives.
Williams, a support vehicle, and a bike mechanic, Scott Rousseau, planned to travel around 100 miles per day, and stay in firehouses each night. Yesterday, they made it from Little Rock to Memphis on Highway 70. The charity riders said they disliked the erratic quality of Arkansas roads, and felt relieved upon making it to Memphis.
Local firefighters took the bikers to Jim Neely’s Interstate Barbecue restaurant for some much-needed protein. The riders were impressed with the downtown Fire Museum of Memphis at 118 Adams.
To learn more about the charity ride, make a donation, or keep tabs of the riders via their blog, visit www.ride4c9.com.