Tamela Rich is a 48-year-old Charlotte business writer who learned to ride a motorcycle in March. 

She left Charlotte on a cross-country motorcycle trip to raise money and awareness for breast cancer on June 26.

After 18 states in all three American time zones, she will return on Sunday, August 8, 2010.

Her corporate sponsor, Caribou Coffee, is sponsoring her "Kickstands DOWN" welcome home party at 3pm at its SouthPark location and the public is welcome to attend.

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Where: Caribou Coffee at Foxcroft 7804 Fairview Rd., Charlotte, NC 28226

When: Sunday, August 8, 3pm

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Kitschy highlights from the trip: (click here for all videos)

Evil Kneivel's jump ramp over the Snake River in ID

Mining museum in Lead, SD

The Gallery of Presidential Also-Rans in Norton, KS

The Corn Palace of Mitchell, SD

Frank's Diner in Kenosha, WI (in an old rail car, featured on Diners, Dives & Drive-Ins)

Geographic center of the lower 48 states in Lebanon, KS

Aladdin General Store in Aladdin, WY (population 15)

Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, housed in a converted Canadian icebreaker and ferryboat

The Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum in Rawlings, WY

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 Tamela is part of the Conga III ride benefiting the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

She and 50+ cyclists from the US and Canada charted routes to and from Cheyenne, WY where they met to celebrate their fundraising accomplishments. The motorcyclists found each other through Facebook and have raised over $28,000.

While Tamela’s itinerary was her own, she made extensive use of Twitter and Facebook to meet other motorcyclists across the country who rode with her and helped her raise money and awareness for the breast cancer cause.

Accompanying her on the final leg of her trip from Asheville, NC are fellow motorcyclists from Charlotte: Kereshmeh Henderson, Anthony Proctor, Dain Richie, Nathan Richie and Stephen Richie .

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"She approached us, and we thought what she was doing was very interesting," says Daniel Gubitosa, director of the BMW Performance Center in Greer, SC.

BMW sponsored Tamela with a motorcycle, two days of on-and off-road training at the Performance Center and publicity for her ride. 

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