scenery pics

Looks okay to me. Try playing around with the exposure to see if you can show more detail in the trees.

The sky seems to be an un-naturally deep blue.

The forest in the foreground is just dark enough that you can't tell what color cast it may or may not have, but the middle range of snow covering is also very blue in the shadows.

I would have to conclude that the color balance may be off. If it was shot RAW, then a correction would be quite simple. In JPG, I guess you can still get to a more natural looking balance, but it is generally more difficult to correct (at least in my experience) without causing a problem elsewhere.

If you feel that it is a correct rendering of the scene, then just chalk it up to the old man's eyes

It is certainly a very nice composition and the exposure looks very good - the highlights seem to retain detail right up to the brightest level.