Recently, a friend of mine gave me a copy of Wendell Berry’s Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community. Thus far it is an excellent read. This same friend took this picture (i think) somewhere along Oregon’s scenic coastline. 
I want to quote Berry here, ‘[...] the love of nature that limits itself to the love of places that are ’scenic’ is implicitly dangerous. It is dangerous because it tends to exclude unscenic places from nature and from the respect that we sometimes accord to nature’ (28).
This is highway 84 in southern Idaho. It is arid and profitless lanf. And yet, this barren stretch where seldom is seen a valley dwelling deer or low lying hawk, hoping for prey to fall victim along this asphalt wonderland, is quite captivating. But despite this captivation, and according to our modern understanding of our general use of the word, scenic it is not.
First off, that phog photo (pun!) was taken in west San Francisco in some park over there. Second, I totally agree about the captivating essence of all natural places, dispite the cultural tendency to not consider them scenic or attractive. Its a bit like saying, though not as cliche and campy, that all humans are beautiful creations. Ideas of beauty get so phoggy (there’s that pun again..) when humanity joins the party, whether as judger or judgee.