TRUCKEE, CA — After a four-hour drive, what better way to stretch the legs (and arms)  than by making and devouring a gourmet s’more?

That’s just what my husband and I did after dropping off our bags in our room at The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, where I was invited to be a guest for its Epicurean Weekend two weeks ago.

We made it to the resort just in time, too, for its daily, early-evening “Marshmology” event on the terrace, which is not to be missed. After all, who can pass up house-made marshmallows in flavors such as caramel apple, orange, and pumpkin spice?

Marshmalogists are on hand to help you thread your chosen marshmallow on a long steel skewer, which you then hold over the nearby fire pit until it’s as gooey and charred as you like. Then, your Marshmalogist will help you squish the toasty marshmallow in between graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. Press down and take a sweet, messy bite. If that doesn’t make you feel like everything’s right in the world, nothing will.

Epicurean Weekend, the first weekend in October, is a slower time for the resort. It’s not yet winter, when the slopes are packed with skiers and snow-boarders (snow, notwithstanding). And it’s past summer, when hoards of mountain bikers aren’t careening down the barren slopes of next-door Northstar, though there were still a fair number that weekend.

Instead, it’s a chance to take a load off with events such as mountainside stargazing with a guide, pumpkin painting, and a printing workshop in which you can design your own tea towel to take home.

It’s also still warm enough in the daytime to partake of the resort’s fun lawn games, including ping-pong, bocce ball, disc golf, and giant Jenga (OK, more like a 4-foot-tall version, but impressive nevertheless).

You can also take a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour. Mine was led by Pastry Chef Danielle Rinaldi, who explained that on a busy night, its restaurant Manzanita can do up to 300 covers.

Except for tart shells, the kitchen makes most everything in-house, including its own sourdough bread that’s made from a starter acquired in 1997 from a chef at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando.

She also let me in on a secret for their tiered wedding cakes. It’s really frosted styrofoam — except for one wedge that’s real cake, which the couple cuts into at the reception. Then, there’s a large real sheet cake in the kitchen that gets sliced and plated before being served. The smoke-and-mirrors is done as a safety factor, she explained, since wedding cakes are often on display for hours on end before being eaten at the end of the night.

The most elaborate cake she’s created? One made to look like a giant tree stump showered with snowflakes, and dotted with miniature people.

After visiting the kitchen, I was psyched to sit down to dinner. Not just any dinner, but the “Epicurean Dinner,” which capped off Epicurean Weekend.

Mark Estee of Campo in downtown Reno, was guest chef, presiding over the five-course dinner ($85 or $100 with wine) alongside resort Sous Chef Chris Watkins.

Estee got things started with the first course — a mosaic of heirloom tomatoes, squash, purple potatoes, compressed cantaloupe and watermelon.

Watkins followed with a lovely seared hamachi draped over a golden pastry and avocado puree. White soy foam and the pop of sriracha pearls added salinity and heat.

Next, Estee’s play on lamb: loin with truffles, leg with mint, fork-tender shoulder with the heat of pimenton, and (my favorite of the bunch) liver with torchio or torch-shaped pasta.

Watkins followed with Durham Ranch squab with the leg done confit alongside a roulade of forie gras and duck confit studded with pistachios, which was divine except I don’t think the sunny-side quail egg was needed, even if it was adorable.

For dessert, Estee presented a fluffy round of cheesecake with a festive gloss from a deep pink beet glaze. Dots of basil syrup finished the plate. There was also a clump of bacon, salty, porky and vinegary, but rather inexplicably placed there. Believe me, I like bacon as much as the next person, but I’m not sure this did anything except detract from the cheesecake.

The next morning, it was back to the restaurant for more food, this time for brunch ($45 per person).

There are made-to-order omelets, as well as a carving station featuring prime rib. Besides the usual scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages, there were serving trays of creamy shrimp over polenta, a lovely braised quail, and a delicious farro salad tossed with duck prosciutto.

On the sweet side, there were poppy seed muffins, raspberry macarons, carrot cake cupcakes, chocolate panna cotta, cheesecake and a super moist chocolate cake.

Which just goes to show that October in Lake Tahoe may be quiet, but it will definitely fill you up — in more ways than one.

Wednesday: The Tasting Menu at Trokay in Truckee