Sorry, been away from the 'net and the forums for a bit. Thanks for the additional help and tips! This is definitely an area where I can see I need more practice. The day was a mix of clouds, sun, and overcast. Unfortunately it looks as though the overcast and clouds took over the scene. It wasn't quite as drab as the original photos seem, but still, that Pacific NW weather can been unpredictable and hard to photograph in at times. 

Hey! Where u been? Glad u posted, this was a worse case scenario shot, overcast, and foggy, a cameras metering system nightmare. I think m5s edit of the foliage is good, foliage should be green after all, and the contrast and sharpening gets rid of the fog. I admit my edit is dramatic in the sky, its sorta my thing, but I didn't PhotoShop anything in, the cloud are all from the original, I just added contrast and clarity.

If you use the live histogram, it doesn't really matter what metering mode you use. Remember, a well exposed image is the best basis for post processing. Shooting RAW doesn't save the situation if you have over- or underexposed more than a little.