The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Thursday, September 10, 2026
The notebooks at the Sul Ross Desk contain a variety of entries, from contemplative, multi-page thoughts and drawings to quick affirmations like "Oliver loves Leo" and "Leo loves Oliver." These diverse entries highlight a shared human experience of isolation and connection, with people leaving their mark next to others who have done the same.
“The main thing was kind of that juxtaposition between that feeling of isolation and feeling of being alone, that everyone seems to enjoy and encompass in whatever they write or draw. And it's beautiful to see how that humanity hasn't changed over the last 30, 40 years.”
“One of the cutest ones is like, um, Oliver loves Leo. And then in completely different handwriting next to it is like Leo loves Oliver. So they might have hiked up there together. They might have just accidentally bumped into each other because it was early on in the notebooks.”
“The first one that I saw um, he jot it down. I like to think that this place is all to me and that I don't have to share it.”