The Peppermill was a popular lunch and after-work sport in the
1980's and 90's. Its Fireside Lounge with bright pink and orange
upholstery was modeled after a ‘70s vision of the Playboy
mansion and featured waitresses dressed accordingly. It closed in
2003 along with a sister restaurant in Cupertino and the building
still sits vacant.
Back in the 1980’s one of us was working for a small
defense subcontractor a few blocks away along with Larry. Larry
(not his real name) enjoyed the Peppermill lounge. His usual day
was to arrive at work a bit after 10 AM, catch up on calls, and
then leave for liquid lunch at 11. He’d enjoy his
refreshments and return to work about 3:30.
Larry’s drink tab was mostly paid by our suppliers. In
return, Larry encouraged purchases from those who met his criteria.
Their products and services were not really bad, but the
competitive bidding via bar dice games and double scotches left us
in the lurch on price and delivery more often than not.
Outside of Larry and the lounge, the food at the Santa Clara
Peppermill was always a couple steps above similar places in
quality and portions. The décor and ambiance was straight out of
Reno, minus the keno boards, comp cards and ‘80s cover bands.
The Peppermill casinos in Nevada are still in operation and are a
favorite with locals. But at this location the only regulars left
are some feral cats.
The cache is a camouflage-taped container slightly bigger than a
film can and suitable for small items and coins. It is hanging
about shin high. It's NOT in the thorny berry vines but not far
away. It is partly concealed by natural camouflage, please rehide
carefully and snap the lid completely shut
Note that the trees surrounding the area can and will cause
problems with GPS signals, so you should take refresher readings in
the clear should things look really weird! No matter what your
receiver says the cache is not accessible from the US 101
freeway!
Ground is flat and parking is available on the street. This was
a 2.5 star hide but the hint is now a bit more explicit and the new
container is above the ground. We hate vague bush hides, too. Some
CITO is always helpful.