snip

Good luck finding a rental car in Ely or anywhere within 3 hours of driving.
I think the difficulty might be with finding a rental with a trailer
hitch. Who says you have to rent it in Ely? How about in Salt Lake
City if coming from the east, Reno from the west, etc. You can return
the car on your trip home. For example, on one planned trip for ground
launching at Roach Dry Lake, my wife had a car reserved in Bullhead
City, AZ, about 90 road miles away from the lake.
--
Dan, 5J