I just took a few hours to learn a technique I have seen but never used, for B/W conversion. Usually I do my conversions with channel mixer, and in CS3 I have started using the B/W adjustment layer, but I haven't been completely pleased with the level of control it offers, as it's entirely global. Here, I used the technique of copying each of the R,G,B channels and pasting it as a new layer above BG, then opening a duplicate of the image, converting to LAB color, and copying the luminance channel and pasting THAT into the RGB composite beneath the other channels and directly above the BG layer.
A layer mask was created for each layer, and I painted in black to mute or eliminate certain areas from each of the channels. So, for example, the sky is primarily the green channel, and the sky on the red channel is completely eliminated by the mask. Each distinct area of the image (sky, middle ground, and foreground) is primarily composed of a different channel than the others, because that's what worked best. A gradient mask was used and faded to adjust the overall contrast, and some of that was masked out by painting on the mask as well. A hue/sat adjustment layer, set to colorize, was used to bring the cool tint in. The results:
From this:  to this: 
For comparison, here's one done with channel mixer:
I'm sure I have a long way to go in mastering this, but I'm pleased so far.
R.
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