To take a different tack, I prefer iteration number one. It may be more complex, but it suits the scene much better. The addition of something to the scene is good advice. Dinosaur bones around the left of the scene would fit well. As would some on the far right edge, with parts obscured just outside.
What you are missing, however, is some environmentals, blowing dust is a constant in a desert. I know, because I used to live in one.
