Dave have you thought of maybe abandoning the wide angle here and focusing on one element with this spectacular background. So for instance different DoF could work - just have one element of the foreground in focus and leave the rest blurred? I don't know whether that would work but it's just a thought I always have when I see wide angle landscapes.

Those two are good pictures tho - all they need is a point of interest to make them absolutely amazing. Very few landscapes have that tho, so I think overall you did a pretty good job here anyway!