POWERGRAMS

29 anything else about Jasmine Hill," Inscoe says. Before the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Jasmine Hill used its Greek connections to bring the Olympic flame through Wetumpka. The Olympian Centre, the gardens' largest building, was built to welcome visitors with a gift shop and information, host meetings for up to 500 people with a kitchen and restrooms, and house new statues before the flame arrived. Jasmine Hill Gardens is open Friday through Sunday, and by appointment for large groups on other days. Visitors drop in from across the country and around the world for a little glimpse of Greece provided by the Inscoes and the foundation they originated to keep the operation going. "If you want to lose money, go into the public garden business," says Inscoe, a longtime successful real estate business owner. "But we've been fortunate to be part of a wonderful and unique garden for many years. We encourage people to bring a picnic basket, a bottle of wine and some cheese, and just relax in these beautiful surroundings." Take Me to the River Two big dogs raise their heads from the wood-plank wrap-around porch of Coosa River Adventures' rustic headquarters, eventually wandering down the short stairs to sniff a visitor. There appears little that is rapid about this operation on a weekday morning. A sign between six standing kayaks, a totem pole and a tall wooden alligator implores customers to "Honk or Holler or Ring Bell, Then Be Patient … as dogs bark." There's also a number to call "If All Else Fails," but co-owner Therese Carter soon appears at the front door. To be sure, this doesn't resemble a tourist trap on the Colorado or Nantahala or Ocoee rivers. The late-1800s home stuffed with canoes, kayaks, life jackets and most any accessory needed to paddle down a river is where the "adventure" begins. A small white senior dog seems stuffed, too, but eventually comes to life, stretching, rising and walking over beside the old glass display cases in front of Carter, who stands next to a vintage fireplace. There are wide, handhewn heart pine floorboards and thin ones on the ceiling of the old Stoddard House that Chris and Therese Carter bought in 1999 alongside the Coosa River shoals in town. Almost a decade earlier, Chris began bringing Air Force buddies back and forth for kayaking the Class 1 and 2 rapids when he was stationed at Gunter in Montgomery. One of them said, "I'd pay someone to do this," and Carter decided he was just the man for the job. He bought a blue van – which is now a relic parked alongside the Adventures building – and began waiting with canoes and paddles for customers at the downtown Wetumpka boat ramps. Carter soon built a nest egg and started looking for a more permanent base. When he first spied the Stoddard property, it was so overgrown he didn't realize there was a house in the woods. He considered tearing down the six-room cabin but decided to remove most of the interior walls and restore it. Carter was glad he did when two of the aging Stoddard sisters showed up one day and said, "We were born in that front room." Within a short time, Carter had customers arriving early, lining up all the way down the steps and into the yard and driveway. Twenty-two years later, tens of thousands of people have taken a ride down the river thanks to the Carters. "The majority of our customers have never paddled before they paddle with us," Therese says. "Chris spends 15 to 20 minutes talking before each person or group goes out to explain the equipment, safety rules and how to keep our environment clean. We're kind of proud of that." Coosa River Adventures sells new and used water equipment year-round, but the paddling tours are generally closed from Christmas to February, with business beginning to pick up at Spring Break and remaining steady until students return to school in the fall. Therese notes that even Long corridor of pines 'whistles' in the wind. Chris and Therese Carter Kayakers row 6 miles from Jordan Dam to near downtown.

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