Even batshit crazy people are calling you, "Out of his mind!!", and the fact that you still seem think HDR is all about 3 shots and a button proves they're justified in their position.
Some of the photo's on this thread are stunning (and a little out of my league), but I will keep plugging away.
I took this shot whilst visiting an 18th century cotton mill in Scotland a couple of months ago, and decided to have a play around with it, first colour splash, then HDR. Although the sky is a bit dodgy, I was quite happy with the rest of it.
If that info should be lost in that shot, you could always use the original, work those clouds back in and then go B&W with those. It's easier to use the colored first since you'll perfectly see the difference between both shots.