Fireworks at Avon, CO

Avon, CO boasts having one of, if not the, best fireworks displays for the Fourth of July. Avon is located just a few miles east of Vail, CO in some gorgeous mountains. This year is especially nice because of all the rain the area has received. Because of all the runoff and rain, the Eagle River, which flows through Avon, is raftable until about the middle of July, which rarely happens. (If you decide to raft the Eagle River, wear a wetsuit; water temperature is about 42 degrees.) *Funny note about this photo: When the raft had moved about 20 feet down the river, you could hear the guide yelling at the paddlers: "Look at me!!!" The paddlers were not following his instructions and they were headed for a class 4 rapid. I believe the guide was a little anxious.

Back to the fireworks. Avon held their firework display on the third, while Vail did theirs on the Fourth. Avon's fireworks display lasted 30 minutes of non-stop, multiple shot excitement. When I was a child, they would light each firework separately. That did not happen at Avon! It was pretty amazing. During the 30 minute display, I took 195 photos; don't worry, they won't all appear here. I have not retouched the photos in any way, except for cropping. The shutter was open for 3.2 to 5 seconds. I started the f-stop at 11, which I thought was too bright with the multiple fireworks being launched. The majority were shot with an f-stop of 16. (Click the images to see a larger image.)

It was really hard chosing which images to show here. Everyone has a different idea of what is "cool". I think these are some of the more interesting shots.