Crazy Cloud (broad dynamic range) with Canon 40D

There were some crazy cloud formations just before sunset recently ... which looked way cool, but was such a broad dynamic range that it wasn't even close to be captureable by my 40D.

I was pleasently surprised to pull the RAW file into ACR, apply a ton of Fill Light (along with a few other minor tweeks), and have the end result actually look semi-decent IMHO and pretty close to what I remember my eye seeing it. Second image is taken three minutes before sunset with the third image being the as-shot version. More pictures here - http://www.komar.org/faq/rainbows/crazy-clouds/