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Other stories in "Spring"

• A new trail and two state parks
  A variety of scenery makes for a great day in southeast Minnesota.
• The mushrooms are coming
  The search is on for the wily morel.
• Miles to ride
  Chances are, there's a great new bicycle trail near you.
• Work for food (and lodgings)
  In spring, do chores or clear a trail and get a free or cheap trip.
• Without reservation
  If there's a big festival in your future, stake out space as soon as possible.
• Finally, the Bunyan is done
  Last stretch of paving creates a 106-mile trail between Bemidji and Brainerd.
• Good deals
  Grab a Deals in the Dells card at Culver's.
• Blazing a trail
  Like to hike? Then help out your favorite places.
• Gotta have a twist cone
  When the mom-and-pop ice-cream stands open, happy days are here again.
• Planning ahead
  Tour a tall ship, reserve a campsite, find the mother lode.
• Road Trip/Wildflowers in bluff country
  On two sides of the Mississippi, see thousands of lovely blooms in one day.
• Culinary getaways
  On artisan farms, help pick your own dinner, then dine alfresco.
• Snap up copy of new biking guide
  In Wisconsin, new trails await bicycle tourists.
• Friend us on Facebook
  Watch for cool events and new picture galleries.
• A room in the Zona Romantica
  In a Puerto Vallarta neighborhood, a B&B fosters friendships.
• Guest List/Andrew Slade's Top 5 North Shore campgrounds
  Guest list.

The season's first ship

For a free trip to Duluth, guess when the first saltie will arrive.

In Duluth, the first ocean-going vessel to pass under the Aerial Lift Bridge marks the arrival of spring — on Lake Superior, anyway.

Every year, the city and the Duluth Seaway Port Authority sponsor the First Ship Contest, with the person who most closely guesses the exact arrival time of the first ocean-going vessel winning an all-expenses-paid trip to the port town.

Oceangoing ships can enter the St. Lawrence Seaway on March 25, when the Welland Canal opens. Inter-Great Lakes shipping starts when the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie open — usually March 25, but March 21 in 2010.

In 2011, the Cyprus-flagged Federal Leda arrived April 11, just a day shy of the record for late arrival. It was picking up a load of pasta wheat to take to Italy.

In 2010, the Federal Elbe from Italy arrived in Duluth April 5, but a Canadian laker had arrived to load wheat just before her, and the Federal Elbe had to wait until the morning of April 7 to enter the harbor.

In 2009, the first ship arrived at 10:27 a.m. April 12, when the Dutch Antilles-flagged Medemborg became the latest arrival since 1997. In 2008, the Hong Kong-flagged Gadwall arrived April 10.

The earliest an ocean-going boat has arrived in Duluth was April 1 in 1995.

Boats begin carrying cargo around Lake Superior earlier; in 2011, the James R. Barker was the first to pass under Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge on March 17.

Check online for estimated arrival and departure times. A live webcam records canal traffic.

Contest entries must be received or postmarked by March 27. For shipping tips, check Duluth Shipping News and Boat Nerd, which displays a map of current vessel locations on the Great Lakes.

Last updated on April 12, 2011