Welcome. Your experience was exactly like mine a year ago! I never went to Anza Borrego until I got the GX and was blown away. I met some good people through this forum like S Suberi and we went to Canyon Sin Nombre last month. I'm a newbie too so learning from everyone and gradually getting...
I still have the OEM rack and someday may replace it. It’s not the white sands of Hapuna Beach, but here is mine with the OEM rack in the desert sand of Anza Borrego.
Congratulations on your new GX! The downside of the OEM roof rack is wind noise. Many owners buy a lower profile aftermarket roof rack and list their OEM rack for sale. You should be able to find a slightly used one for less than the dealer price.