Thanks guys,
I too feel the same way..I prefer less masking and less saturation and less processing....but I do like the high pass filtering method just a little less done.
Doug put me onto this disk giving me about 5 hours of Photoshop tutorials.
http://www.waid-observatory.com/DVD-Tutorials.html
I can't explain what I did as it will take me hours trying to explain the process but the main difference was applied Selective sharpening using a high pass filter mask and applied the gradient xterminator with a different technique.
John I will add the original images for comparison to the top of the thread.
Sorry I cant explain what I did because its not just a simple click and it's done..it involves different layer's applied in PS.