Book excerpt: The “Hambassador of Texas” sinks his teeth into the American culinary classic on a road trip with pit stops at the best burger joints in the state. Texans are passionate about this signature sandwich, and photographer/writer Rick Vanderpool has become, in his own right, the Hambassador of Texas. In 2006, Rick undertook a quest to find and photograph the best Texas burgers, traveling over eleven thousand miles and visiting over seven hundred Texas burger joints. Since that time, he has continued his travels, sampling the finest burgers the Lone Star State has to offer. He has also picked up some fellow enthusiasts willing to share their own tasty tales along the way. From Fletcher Davis’s 1885 Athens creation (recipe included) and the Cheeseburger Capital of Texas in Friona to Whataburger #2 in Corpus Christi and Herd’s in Jacksboro, join Rick and his “Hamburger Helpers” on their journey celebrating the history of the original Texas hamburger. “Looking for a place to eat a great hamburger? Rick Vanderpool may have just the place for you—hundreds in fact. The Lubbock resident criss-crossed the state taking hundreds of photographs and visiting more than 700 burger joints for a book on the subject.” —Hockley County News-Press