Salem is the gateway town on the northern edge of the Ozarks' best riding country, a county seat of about five thousand people where the farmland of the plateau starts to break into the steep, forested hills that drain south toward the Current River. It is the last place with a real choice of gas stations, groceries and restaurants before Route 19 heads into a long, empty stretch toward Eminence, so this is where you fill the tank, eat properly and check the weather.
The route name refers to the Ozark hellbender, a giant salamander that lives under rocks in the clear, cold, fast-flowing rivers of this region. It can grow to more than half a metre long, it is flat, wrinkled and brown, and it is now endangered, a sensitive measure of how clean these streams are. You almost certainly will not see one, but the waters you cross on this ride are its home, and that tells you something about the quality of the landscape.
A short ride southwest of town, Montauk State Park protects the springs that form the source of the Current River. It is one of Missouri's famous trout parks, and on a summer morning you see anglers standing in the cold water among the mist. The old mill and the spring pools are worth a look, and the road down to the park is a pleasant warm-up through woods and pastures.
South of Salem, Route 19 is the main event. It climbs and drops over a succession of ridges, with long sweepers giving way to tighter, rolling bends through oak and hickory forest. Some sections are designated scenic by the state, and the traffic is light outside weekends. Be alert to gravel at the entrances of side roads, to deer, and to slow-moving farm machinery, and note that the Missouri summer is hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms. In autumn the forest colour is excellent and the air turns crisp.
Rolla, about forty kilometres north on Interstate 44, is the larger town if you need a motorcycle dealer or a big hotel. Otherwise Salem has what you need: a couple of local cafes, motels and the usual chain outlets near the main roads.