Who is Bill Bryson's Father from The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-town America and what is their importance?

Bill Bryson's father is never named, but his presence is felt throughout the book. When Bryson began his journey, he took the same route his father always chose for family holidays. Bryson notes that his father liked nothing better than covering the dining room table with maps as he considered routes. Bryson also describes the way his father would deny that the family was going to stop at some attraction being advertised on billboards..... though he always gave in. He would then declare that they were only staying a half hour, and that they were not buying anything. When the attraction ended up being invariably less than was advertised, however, he would give in and buy toy knives and bags of dinosaurs to salve the childhood grief.