COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Ronald Sorenson's 30-foot rented recreational vehicle rests on a gravel pad at Cherry Hill Park in Maryland, its sides emblazoned with images of President-elect Barack Obama and Sorenson's own poetry.

The one-time building contractor decided three weeks ago to make the three-day trip from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., spending $17,000 to decorate the RV (with the owner's permission). He has been parked at the campground in College Park for a week awaiting the inauguration of the man he thinks will save the country.

It is supporters like Sorenson who are bringing an unexpected stimulus to Cherry Hill, which is now nearly booked during a month when business is typically dead. The relatively inexpensive housing option is enlivening a usually moribund camping season at other parks near Washington, D.C., and creating a ripple effect that is putting money in the pockets of campgrounds and their employees.