Rob,
Welcome! I hope I can help with the "learning curve" with the D700. I absolutely love my D3; however, even after shooting extensively with it for a year and a half, I'm still learning how to get the most out of the camera. I'm constantly learning, which I guess is a good thing.
Please don't hesitate to make the most of the forums and galleries. If you can find the time to join us in our weekly assignments, I think you might find they help you to continue along that learning curve a bit faster than you would without the incentive to "try new things" each week.
I'll look forward to seeing some of your images in the gallery.
Welcome!
Keith