Russ, it was an interesting trip. Ely is almost exactly 800 miles away, but that 800 miles includes all of the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Plateau and a bit of the Basin and Range province. And my anti-social, I love backcountry, side demands that I drive as few miles on Interstate (yech!) as is humanly possible. In good weather, I love the trip, as I cross country that really speaks to my heart. I did not have good weather... but the country still speaks to me. :-)
More on the downsizing stuff when I get a chance, but I have to agree with John on this one. Good post-processing can't make a bad image good, but poor to average PP can certainly detract from how a good image looks on the web. These days, there is an additional challenge in how you present what you've got.
Scott