A few weeks ago Vicky Connell rode 17 miles to climb the Lost Trail Pass in Montana. It was snowing and brutally cold.

Her journey to bring awareness and funds to the Safe Animal Shelter took her to the flatland prairies of Kansas this week where the temperatures hovered near 100 degrees on Tuesday.

Despite the challenges, Connell peddles on.

The Orange Park resident is halfway on her coast-to-coast odyssey that started on the shores of Ocean City State Park in Washington and will end at the Jacksonville Beach Pier.

“Part of doing a cross-country trip like this is the putting your back tire in one ocean and your front tire when you arrive in another ocean,” she said after setting up camp in Great Bend, Kansas, Tuesday night.

Connell decided to make the 4,000-mile ride with hopes of raising $5,000 for the animal shelter where she and her husband, Jim, rescued their German shepherd, Luna.

All three are making the trip with Jim driving a recreation vehicle ahead of his wife.

The $5,000 goal has already been reached, but she hopes donations won’t slow down. The Connells celebrated the milestone by popping a bottle of champagne.

“I’m thrilled because truthfully, I had doubts that it was going to happen because in the beginning, I was really scared that I was overreaching,” Vicky said. “I’m really thrilled that is worked out.

“One of my friends recently commented when I said how close I was to goal, she said, ‘Well what happens when you reach goal do you jump in the RV and drive home?’ And I just answered it was tempting, but no. I’m going to finish the ride. We’re gonna keep going.”

Connell said Luna is enjoying the ride, too. She often thinks about the day she and her husband walked into Safe Animal Shelter and found the shepherd. It fuels her desire to keep pushing despite the challenges of weather, rocky roads and hills.

“I am a true, true animal lover,” she said. “I didn’t think I could ever deal with animals that were sick and in pain. She (Luna) was in such bad shape when we got her and he is just it really touched my heart that the Safe Animal Shelter went in and got her out of what was a bad situation.

“I just thought that was so great that they have a good attitude to make sure the animals go to the right people who can actually take care of them because Luna had issues in the beginning and it was not easy. We struggled with her for the first six months until things evened out. Now she’s such a great dog. We just love her to death and I’m grateful to the safe animal shelter and I want them to have the funds to continue doing what they’re doing.”

Connell has chronicled her ride on the YouTube channel, “Vicky,Jim and the Lunatic.”

To donate, visit safeanimalshelter.com/donations/bike-tour.