I like the black and white even more than "Ghost Station", the color version, Doug. However, even though I know I'm wrong because you've explained why I'm wrong I still think the balance is off. I'll quote from my comment on "Ghost Station".
"It's just me but I think I would have liked the shot a little more if you had cropped out the stagecoach on the right and had the building not centered."
The gray scale treatment seems to add to the age of the building and make the desert location appear even drier. Considering the photo's subject these things work as a plus. On the other hand, in the color version I like how the dark brown branches stand out so well against the medium blue sky. There are always trade-offs, huh?
The reason why the sunsets in the evening is because it wants to see the sunrise in the morning. I rise in the morning because I want to see them both. RvdB