I dont think these pictures are best suited for HDR, I think you could have had better results with a single exposure. With that said, I think number two is the better one of the group, but the Haloing is very distracting, it breaks up the picture.
Yeah I didn't like the haloing much either. As for a normal exposure goes I tried that first but it was to foggy with very dull colors. 1 and 2 are my favorites also.
No had the 3rd shot been a clear day, I could see the use of an HDR. I would be very difficult to get foreground and very distant background to expose together.