Can't drive this year. I'm 2,000 miles away.... six days to drive there and back not including time spent in Moab. I don't have the vacation time or money to do it. Plus, fuel to feed the Explorer for the trip would cost twice the price of airfare + car rental... something else I cannot afford. On top of that I've been healing from a hernia and surgery, and have not been able to work on the new Explorer this year to get it ready for the trail. It still does not have lockers, rocksliders, etc.
It was fly out or not come at all. I chose to fly.