Shokhead... ... I know exactly where that steep climb is. As a matter of fact, our Sat morning training ride from Pasadena basically loops around the dam and heads back. Every week, a few riders join us from the bike path where it meets Arrow Highway, adjacent to the dam.
A few yrs back, just a small group of us used to start from the dam and take the bike path all the way down to Seal Beach, have lunch, do a little people watching, and head back. Now that was fun.

George