Anytime a park closes down, sadness is felt throughout the coaster community. This sadness is further deepened when those parks have coasters, particularly ones which are classic woodies that likely will not be able to be salvaged, taken down, and meticulously reconstructed in another park. Not that they aren’t worth saving, as was proven by the reconstruction and revival of The Rocket, which became reborn in Elysburg as the mighty Phoenix. When Geauga Lake announced suddenly that they were no longer going to run the amusement park portion of the park, I was upset with the decision, primarily because the fans of the park were losing a staple of the area that had been there for over a century. Then, there were the rides and coasters – some were being saved and moved on to other places, while others awaited an uncertain fate. The first coaster that came to my mind as one that would be a terrible loss if it was simply torn down was Big Dipper, the park’s classic and wonderful little wooden coaster that has dished out some great rides from its central midway location for more than 80 years. I for one am hoping that some park will take on the task of keeping Big Dipper alive in a new locale, as it was a fine coaster that is worthy of continuing to thrill riders young and old for another 80 years.
To me, if there ever was an icon for Geauga Lake, Big Dipper was it. Yes, there were some towering steel beasts (and even a shiny new wooden one) that began gracing the park at the turn of this century, and they seemingly dwarfed and overshadowed this wooden coaster that had been around so long. But, while a coaster like Dominator may have become the heart of Geauga Lake, the Big Dipper was always the park’s soul. Big Dipper was the constant here. Rides came and went all around Dipper, and the park grew with waterparks being added. But in the middle of it all, the Big Dipper just kept on chugging, doing its thing and providing smiles and joy to everyone it could. So yeah, the setting and look of Big Dipper, to me anyway, was perfect. It had that simple, quaint charm to it that made the ride very endearing. No flash was needed here, just some treated lumber with an old fashioned feel, along with a nice old station. The whole setup made you feel like you were taking a brief step back in time, which for me is a great feeling on these nostalgic wooden coasters. I always picture a coaster like Big Dipper as a perfect starter coaster for younger kids that have just "graduated" to the more grown-up rides and attractions. And kids here loved this thing, as they composed a good half of the people in line and riding. The crews here were always some of the best in the park, and they were always happy and efficient. The lines were never very large, and when they were there they moved very quickly. The trains looked great and were very comfortable, with ample padding all around. I actually remember riding this when it was just the lap bar, and although the seat belts being added was slightly disappointing, they did not detract from the ride for me. Once the train departed the station, I always got a big smile, because I knew I was in for a ride that was classic, thrilling, and more than anything – FUN!
John A. Miller really was a genius of coaster design back in the day that this was built, and so many of his creations, like this one, just produce a great ride that even after all those years still delivers. His designs were so simplistic, yet so wonderful in that they did everything well and produced rides that could consistently thrill and satisfy a wide array of riders, from thrill seekers to the more casual riders. Big Dipper was no exception to this, and upon leaving the station, the train would climb the rather modest 65 foot lift hill. My favorite seats on this were the ends of the train, either the front seat or the back row. And of the two of those, I liked the front seat best. The first drop was very good, and gave a nice pop of ai
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