Somethings Happen for a Reason

I recently stayed a couple nights out on Chincoteague Island on the eastern shore of Virginia. I was planning on doing a night shot of the lighthouse out there but the park closed at 10. In addition, there aren't really any good views of the lighthouse unless you're on a boat. So I did some exploring and the Curtis Merit Harbor at the end of the island has a giant cross dedicated to townsmen who lost their lives at sea. I decided this would be a great spot to get some milky way shots.

In the middle of shooting out of no where the sky suddenly flashed bright white. I had no idea what happened at first. The clouds were so far away and it was so dark I couldn't see them. Had no idea they were there. Then I realized it was lightning way off in the distance. Can't believe I got lucky enough to capture a lightning bolt with the milky way. This is just one frame. I didn't do any stacking or blending. The cross was lit up pretty perfectly by some ambient light from the harbor behind me.

I was pretty disappointed with the whole lighthouse situation but I guess somethings happen for a reason. I'm pretty satisfied with this shot! Thanks for looking!