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[amazonman]

I loved that ride,i to wished they still had it.i thought SDC was a blast as a kid even though they didnt have as many rides as they do now.

[djtic]

That was a great ride.  My preacher was one of the designers for the ride before he was a preacher.  As a little kid I got to go with him one night to watch him work on the ride updateing the program.  I'm telling you WOW, the workings of that ride was out of this world.   I wish they would bring it back....

[rubedugans]

I have found it! From my newest collection of SDC photos, here is an interior shot of the diving bell. I am unsure of who the "citizen" in the photo from the early 80's is.

[tinmann620]

For those that knew/know Noel, who played Rube, he & his wife are expecting the arrival of their first in July!   

[Swoosh]

The nostalgic fan in me would love them to bring this back for the 50th anniversary

[History Buff]

A
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[jeffthephotog]

Ah the Diving Bell...I recall when that was considered part of the 'new' part of the park.

[Dreamza]

I have found it! From my newest collection of SDC photos, here is an interior shot of the diving bell.  Diving Bell...Aweosme

[Junior]

Thank goodness that RUBEDUGAN's dad took those shots on one of their 1984 family visits to SDC. Last year for the diving bell. I've enjoyed them, too. Takes me back to the last season I worked on park. Who knows, I may have taken RUBEDUGAN's and his family on a ride! If anybody has any diving bell shots or video they can pull from family trip albums, I'd love to see them posted here. PLEEEAAAASSE!

[mhguy77]

My little brother was maybe 6 at the time used to cry, Lord he would cry and get so upset, bury his head in my Moms lap, it was funny. Strange thing was he was a real swimmer and liked to swim when we were out on the boat with no preserver.
He is 30 now and I like to tell his kids about those times, they seem to get a real charge out of it.
The ride was fun and  innovative.
I was young as well but it seems like the wait to get on the ride could be a long one, or maybe that was just through a kids eyes.
The lost river is less of a thrill to me as I can go into the bathroom take off my underwear submerge them into the sink and put them back on without ringing them; without, the 45 min wait.

[betamike]

^Ha!  That's funny!

Yeah, I remember waiting a long time for the Diving Bell also.  Not sure if I am mixing my memories but the playground with tunnels that were installed in the queue area sure helped things. 

I don't think I have been on Lost River in ages.  I love sitting outside of Aunt Polly's and watching the rafts go by mind you, but it just doesn't hold much fascination for me beyond that.  I think it's about time for an overhaul.  If they did it to Rube's then it is surely Lost River's time!

Back to Rube's though, I was always scared as well and it came from the acting and the fact that it was noisy in parts.  I just didn't like being up towards the front where I could make eye contact with the "Junior" or assume the ghost could see me.  What I really did like though (and I miss) was the cavernous area right before going into the Diving Bell that had a few fountains and colored lights in it.  Little things like that sure stick with you as a kid and if it were still in place today, I would rank it right up there with the cold, musty darkness of Fire in the Hole and the foyer of Grandfather's Mansion.

As they say, sometimes it's not the destination, but the journey along the way and the things you see as you're getting there.

[pintrader]

It is kind of funny how people look at rides differently.  I think it probably depends on what age you were when you first come to the park and rode these rides for the first time.  A 5 year old riding the Diving Bell for the first time is probably going to have a lot different memory than a 15 year old riding for the first time.  I was seventeen When I first got on the Diving Bell.  I enjoyed it and rode a couple times that first day.  When I came back to sdc the following year the Diving Bell wasn't on the top of my list in things to do.  It just wasn't an attraction that I wanted to ride again and again.  I guess it just wasn't a big enough thrill to keep someone at my age at the time very interested for long.  The point I am trying to make is if I had been a 5 to 10 year old riding the Diving Bell the first time, I probably would have fonder memories of it like many of you out there do.

[betamike]

Yeah, you're right about that.  For me, Geyser Gulch holds no fascination, but if you were a kid when it opened, I'm sure it was the bees knees.  Now, I know that's a poor comparison as GG is more of an activity than something you ride, but I was an adult when it opened and all I could think about was how that area USED to be...all nice and serene.

What I think was nice about Rubes was how immersive and detailed it was.  Kind of like going on FITH or the Steam Train. 

[History Buff]

A five-year-old has that fascination, but an adult would have appreciation.  There is probably a section in the middle that thought it was silly.

[pintrader]

Yeah!  I think you guys are right.  The theme and detail of the Diving Bell was great.  Maybe it was too good for a teenager like me riding it for the first time.  With the theme and detail, maybe I was at the time expecting another FITH or big thrill ride.