Before summer is gone, there are a few good day-trips to be made in the month of September.

Directions for each trip follow at the end of the article.

Trip # 1: Evergreen State Fair in Monroe is open through Labor Day weekend! Evergreen is a good mid-sized fair -- small enough that you can see it all, from guinea pigs to Clydesdale horses, from roller
coasters to quilts and flower arranging in one day. Lots of places to sit and people-watch.
Much entertainment on the grounds -- magic shows, music, dancing and racing pigs. The usual fair food is all there -- burgers with awesome fried onions, crispy sweet elephant ears, corn on the cob, cotton candy, Fisher's scones with strawberry jam. I bring food with me.

Trip #2: If you want to see a wonderful pig event this year, swine fitting and showing is at the Puyallup Fair at 4 p.m. Sept. 19. The Puyallup fair is huge, and runs from Sept. 11-27. It costs a dollar more than Monroe for regular admission but it isn't too late to get advance tickets. Fair admission is free before noon on Sept. 11 and that morning ribbons will be awarded to the best herders of cats -- how do you herd cats?

Trip #3: The return of the Vaux's (say it like "foxes") swifts: Each mid-September thousands of these tiny birds pause their migration from northern Canada to spend the night in the tall chimney of Frank Wagner Elementary School at Dickinson and W. Main Street in Monroe before continuing on to South America. "Swift Night Out" is Sept. 12, from 6-8 p.m.; the full migration lasts several days.

Even if the only birds you can identify are robins, this is something that is worth seeing live and up close. Go on a nice day -- bring water and a picnic supper, a beach towel or a blanket to sit on and a jacket -- you won't be leaving before the sun sets and it gets cool in September.

Plan to arrive in Monroe about an hour before sunset. Sitting on the lawn around the school there will be several dozen people with lawn chairs or beach towels, some of them with serious-looking binoculars. There's this big chimney. There's the empty sky. More people show up. Small birds are flying. False alarm, it's sparrows. Then more birds -- it's the swifts, squeaking like bats or little mice, first a few, then many, then many hundred. They fly in from all directions. The birds circle the chimney as sunset approaches, getting nearer and nearer -- why aren't they colliding with each other?

Then, just before dark the huge spiral of birds spins into the chimney like a funnel cloud of smoke flowing backwards -- better than fireworks!

Experts from the Audubon society are on the school grounds to tell you more about the swifts.

Travel routes and details
To Monroe: Sound Transit 510 to Everett on Fourth Avenue (also stops at freeway stop in the University District) leaves every half hour on weekdays. Transfer to Community Transit bus 270 or 275 at the Everett Station -- buses leave every 30 minutes until 6 p.m. Both buses stop at the fairgrounds -- there is an eight-block walk from the 270 to the Frank Wagner Elementary School; the 275, which leaves Everett on the half hour, stops a block away from the school.

The CT Local bus schedule has an adequate map of Monroe -- the school is on the north side of W. Main Street between the ends of the Village Way loop. The Senior Center stop is closest. Return on the CT 271, which leaves Monroe more-or-less hourly (get the schedule, and locate the homebound bus stop before it gets dark!) until 10 p.m. weekdays.

Return from Everett on the ST 510. Watching the birds: The school is in a residential neighborhood about 6 blocks west of town -- no food, no water, no restrooms! Plan ahead!

Puyallup: Catch Metro 192 in the bus tunnel to Federal Way Transit Center, transfer to Pierce Transit 402. Or take Sound Transit 590/593/594 to the Tacoma Dome -- special express bus service to Fair leaves at 37 minutes past the hour. Check the bus schedules, especially on weekends. Federal Way service ends early.

Access: Buses are accessible; walking on all three trips is level. Some of the distance from the 270 to the school is on blacktopped streets without sidewalks. No restrooms at the school.

Cost of Fares: Sound Transit $3 adult; $2.50 youth; $1.50 senior/disabled. Community Transit $2.50 adult; $1 youth; $0.50 senior/disabled.

Metro Transit (off-peak) $1.75 adult; $0.75 youth; $0.50 senior/disabled.

Pierce Transit $1.75 adult; $0.75 youth; $0.75 senior/disabled.

Valid transfers are honored for their value on different systems — if the fare on the second bus is higher, you pay the difference.

Admission to fairs: Monroe: Adults $10, seniors and youth $7. Discount on Labor Day (adults $7.50, seniors and youth $5).

Puyallup: Free on Sept. 11 before noon! Advance tickets (available at Safeway before opening day) are $8 for adult, $6.50 for students (6-18) and seniors (62+).

Regular admission: Adults $11, students (6-18) and seniors (62+) $8.