After a year of being cooped up in stuffy offices, many Harvard administrators are ready for a little sun and fun--even if they are reluctant to openly admit it.

"The summer life of the Dean isn't usually exotic. We don't admit to vacations (just weekends away)," Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles said in an e-mail message.

Still, many University higher-ups are embarking on interesting summer excursions, from multi-country tours to home-grown road trips.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68's vacation falls in the latter category--he just returned from a week spent driving across most of the U.S.

"I spent one night each in Grove City, PA, Big Rapids, MI, Eau Claire, WI, Bismarck, ND, and Glasgow, MT," he said.

Lewis said he has taken around a dozen road trips since his college days.

"I always love doing it and return feeling reconnected to America and impressed by its grandeur and beauty and the friendliness of its people."

He also remarked on the "fine dining" he met with on the trip, "especially at Meriwether's in Bismarck and Sam's Supper Club in Glasgow."

While Lewis was enjoying Midwestern dining, Knowles was returning from a post-Commencement tour of Asia.

He said his trip to Japan, Hong Kong and China was mostly spent on of University business.

"Much of this was full of speeches and meetings, but we did escape to some Japanese gardens, a kabuki theater, and a marvelous visit to the Shanghai Museum," he said.

Knowles was also treated to a little dinner theater when the Harvard Krokodiloes, who were in Shanghai for their world tour, serenaded his party at a restaurant.

"The other patrons were deeply impressed, too," he said.

Executive Dean of the Kennedy School Sheila P. Burke covered both foreign and domestic bases, traveling with her family on their annual trip to Lake Tahoe and London.

Burke's trip to England included a visit to the recently renovated Globe Theatre to see the Shakespearean tragedy Julius Caesar.