Getting to see the Mentone Bunyan was a stroke of luck as I just happened to be helping deliver a piano (not my normal job) in nearby Riverside and when we got done with that I talked my buddy into going the long way home. Menote is a really beautiful part of California and we took advantage of the fruit stands along the road on our way out to the M Man site. Once again my timing was off with this sighting and the owner was out of town. Apparently he is a yacht captain for the rich and famous and he was sailing on the far side of the planet the day I came by. Thankfully the grounds keeper was there and although he didn’t let me in because of the guard dogs circling the giant he was able to tell me a bit of the bunyan’s history. Peter Van Horne doesn’t just have a muffler man in his yard he has just about everything else you could imagine as well ranging from a giant head of the statue of liberty to a actual airplane sitting in the back that was in a hollywood move. It is truly an impressive collection and even as we were there a few motorcycles pulled up to check out the collection. The Bunyan was purchased from a gas station around 1980 and was a gift for Peter’s 3 year old son at the time.

There are a few interesting things about the Mentone bunyan and one of them is he’s a bunyan without suspender buttons on his pants. Normally you can ID the Bunyans by #1 The Knit Cap #2 The Beard #3 Suspender Buttons on Pants #4 Pant legs come to the top of the boots. So it is rare to see a bunyan without his buttons, maybe this guy preferred a belt. I also noticed again that familiar cut line just below the knee. If you see these cut lines they are always on legs that have the pants tucked into the boots, it is a mystery I am dying to know the answer to. Remember we had the same thing on my #12 sighting in Dallas. A report on http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/5893 mentioned that this Paul came from the gas station without his right hand so a mould was cast of the left one and the arm and hand reproduced. So he’s one of a handful of M Men out there with matching hands. If your in the area this place is a must for a quick stop.