I had to bail on the western end for similar reasons once.
YMMV; somebody's "no problem" trail can be epic depending on lots of factors.
Those dry lakes in the Mojave can be a total nightmare when wet; I've seen people stuck to the hubs. Part had firmed up, like wet sand, but part became virtual quicksand. The problem was that the first guys through had a very difficult time spotting the problem. Not so for followers
And the sand. The Mojave Desert has had a bunch of dry years. And users seem to be getting concentrated in fewer areas. And bikes, ATVs, UTVs, 4x4 (and SMBs) keep getting bigger and more powerful. Seems like SO many trails that used to be easy are now all whooped up. Even my dirtbike friends have had it. That makes it way tougher for us. And even when not whooped the sand is churned, hence softer, and more of that light awful stuff is drifting around. There are roads out near Randsburg we used to do in station wagons that are now a challenge for a sand rail. Sheesh.
Maybe a year of two of big wet will get things back to a better state. The ranger at Red Rocks, who grew up out there, says overall the Mojave is the driest he's ever seen.
Rob