The last day in Vancouver was relaxing, but something was in the air. I was at the beach – yes, again – and read a bit. But high humidity and clouds announced a bit of a weather…

I checked out late, but managed to meet my host Darek, a hydrologist, who rented me his room while he was camping at a music festival.

I left Vancouver towards 6, headed for the border, where the wait time was surprisingly short.

Towards Seattle then, at nightfall, I could make you the black and blue clouds, and, while in a traffic jam, saw one of the most impressive thunderstorms of my life, from far away, thank God.

After setting a temperature record during the day, the energy just had to be released.

Lightning shooting across the sky, brightening up the clouds, blue lighting bolts shooting down, and a number of bright orange ones zigzagging vertically over the skies… I had never seen this before.

Heavy rain set in, luckily only for a short, but intense shower, and by the time I crossed the bridge over to Seattle, the view on the impressive, lit-up skyline was clear again.

The Radio played American Classics, from Don McLean’s American Pie to Tom Petty’s Free fallin’.

I swear to God, every time I am on a US highway, enjoying the vast distances, the open skies and the endless landscape, a DJ somewhere spins that song.

I arrived in my new home with Adam and Carol, on the top of Capitol Hill, at around 10 pm and was greeted by Kevin, their nosey, playful cat.

After that weekend full of relaxing at the beach, drinking and music, I called it an early night and fell asleep in my cute alcove pretty fast.