Colloquium and More -- Tucson in March, 2005
by Mary Jo Ballator ©2004
Look forward in time to early March 2005. March winds haven’t managed to melt all the snows of winter; it just makes muddy puddles everywhere as you trudge along toward spring. Time for something to lift you out of those late winter doldrums. How about a trip to vibrant Tucson, Arizona? Spring has really arrived here. Wildflowers will be peaking in the warm low Sonoran Desert areas west of Tucson this month. There’s a lot to explore and experience in this multicultural cosmopolitan city of nearly 500,000. To top it off, from March 4-6, there’s Colloquium 2005: Earth in Mind –Fueling the Future. At the Colloquium, we’ll explore the issues of sustainable energy use for the earth’s future.
Plan to spend some time here. You can get stimulation of the little gray cells, renewal of the spirit, and the beginnings of a tan all at the same time.
Brief History of Tucson
The Tucson area has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years because of the protective mountains and the Santa Cruz River. Much evidence has been unearthed -- the remains of pit houses and adobe huts -- that the Hohokam occupied the area 1,000 to 1,500 years ago before mysteriously vanishing from the region.
Father Eusebio Kino first visited the region in the late 1600s. In 1700 he established several missions in the area, including Mission San Xavier del Bac, recently restored by an international team of art conservators.
The "Old Pueblo" has lived under four flags (Spanish, Mexican, Confederate and US). This was the northernmost outpost of Spain in the New World.
What to Do in Tucson
You could take a month to see it all. History, wildflowers, art, clear night skies, and exciting regional food await you. March is one of the best times to see it, while temperatures are moderate. In March, the average temperature is 61.3º F.
To register for the Colloquium, go to http://colloquium.us.mensa.org/.
To get an idea of the many attractions of the area, go to Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau at http://www.visittucson.org/.
Many of us who have come for a visit to this desert town have succumbed to its charms and have ended up staying. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
Copyright © 2004 Mary Jo Ballator. All rights reserved
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