Grady, love the comp. I agree that ND filters would cure what ails you here. Probably 2-3 stops would be great here. Check out
http://www.singh-ray.com/grndgrads.html I'd go with them or Lee. I use the soft gradient High Tech filters and they're okay but sometimes the image is a bit soft when I stack them. Don't buy Cokin filters (kinda cheap and a bit off color) but the "p" holder I think will fit filters from the other companies. Anyway, something to research. The original image from that b&w landscape you commented on this morning was made with nd grad filters. Its the main reason I was able to keep some detail in the brush w/o blowing out the highlights in the sky.