What better way to put Old Spice Desperado to the test than at a dude ranch in the Colorado Rockies? Roughly two scenic hours outside of the Denver airport is C Lazy U Ranch, one of the few places you can experience the traditions of the American West. Here, our group put on our best cowboy digs, threw hatchets, shot clay, rode horses, and harnessed our inner Katniss at archery.

A small recap, Old Spice recently unveiled their latest scent and Old Spice Guy to their Red Zone Collection: Desperado; featuring new body wash, body spray, and deodorant. This marks the second hero in the collection, next to Swagger, Old Spice’s No. 1 selling scent. The Desperado campaign is played by Alberto Cardenas, Old Spice’s first latin Old Spice Guy, featuring clever spaghetti western style commercials shot on John Wayne’s property.

Watch my favorite Old Spice Desperado spot ‘Perfect Ending‘ below:

#SmellEm Dude Ranch Retreat

I was tickled when I first heard I would be heading off to Granby, Colorado for the first-ever #SmellEm dude ranch retreat. In the words of Will Ferrell in Step Brothers, “there’s so much room for activities,” except these activities would be accompanied by the confidence-boosting scent of Old Spice Desperado. Needless to say, we were cowboy ready for whatever was thrown our way.

Here’s a little taste of what we got into while on the C Lazy U Ranch.

Welcome to C Lazy U Ranch

After settling into our ranch styled rooms, we all met up for welcome cocktails at the pool patio bar, where our bartender Bjorn conjured up a unique tequila-based cocktail with dried worm salt sprinkled on top. Though not everyone in our party was brave enough to try it, I liked it.

Tequila Cocktails at C Lazy U Ranch

The Desperado-inspired evening continued with a hat swap, where we took the cowboy hats found in our rooms and swapped them with new ones provided by C Lazy U Ranch.

C Lazy U Ranch Hat Display

C Lazy U Ranch Hat Display

Now that we were cowboy’d up, we headed off to our first dinner at the ranch. This took place in the main house’s dining room upstairs, and featured communal tables with family style dining and hand selected wines by the ranch’s very own sommelier.

Sommelier wine selection at C Lazy U Ranch

First Night's Dinner - C Lazy U Ranch

Morning Jingle Run

Each morning around 7am, the C Lazy U Ranch horse wranglers went out to pasture to bring in 180+ horses. This is called the Jingle Run, and it’s definitely something you don’t want to miss. In fact, I was up each and every morning to see the spectacle. Not a morning person? That’s ok, because the Jingle Run also happens in the afternoon when the horses are lead back out to pasture. Here are a few snaps from the morning Jingle Run at C Lazy U Ranch.

C Lazy U Ranch Jingle Run Horse Wranglers

Old Spice Desperado - C Lazy U Ranch

Jingle Run Horses

Horse Close-up during Jingle Run

180+ horses during Jingle Run

Archery, Hatchet Throwing, Clay Shooting, and Horseback Riding

These are just some of the activities we did while at the ranch, but there were so much more like: cattle pushing, horseshoes, volleyball, paddle boarding, fly fishing, mountain biking and loads of other off-ranch activities.

Horseback Riding at the C Lazy U Ranch
Old Spice Guy: Desperado (Alberto Cardenas) with the crew

Old Spice Desperado

Hatchet Throwing
Paul (The Awesomer) throwing hatchets

Here’s my all-time favorite clip from the trip. My friend Paul filmed me attacking his GoPro with hatchets. Sorry not sorry, Paul.

Conclusion: Ranch-Life is Awesome

Maybe it’s waking up to the crisp, fresh mountain air, or perhaps it was the fire where the cowboy coffee was brewing each and every morning. I can’t say for sure, but I know I’ll be back, because ranch life is awesome.

A huge thanks to Old Spice for having me at their #SmellEm Dude Ranch Retreat. Hoping this becomes an annual retreat, because it’s one I will never miss.

Now it’s your turn to Smell ‘Em Who’s Boss. Visit OldSpice.com and get the lowdown on the new Red Zone Collection scents: Swagger and Desperado.