Thanks everyone for taking the time to pitch in and offer comment. It helps me know my own mind better when I can play it off others.
Slobodan nailed it.
I agree. The context is important and makes the difference for me. I guess I just need to make a decision on what context I want to present it in.
I agree that standing alone, there is nothing exemplary about the photo in the 2x1 crop. There is actually nothing really exemplary about the photo as a 4x3 crop either, except that mother nature happened to put a nice unusual cloud there. Maybe it works as a street photo of a landscape?
This is what happens when I'm stuck inside during a long, cold and grey rainy winter and I start going through old photos I've passed over before and seeing if I can make something happen. Hope springs eternal.
What does it look like with NO crop?
No crop - after conversion to B&W and some initial processing, but before straightening the horizon, cloning out some brush, and some final processing...