Meaning Behind the Title

My mother asked me what the meaning of the title was referring to so explained it to her. It then occurred to me that i should probably explain it to everyone else (all 2 of you, if i'm lucky), so here it is. I picked up this book called "Going to See the Elephant" by Rodes Fishburne, and the opening note explains where the phrase came from.
"In 1858, if the reader had lived in New York City, or any other large or small town in the United States, and a friend had stopped by one afternoon to inquire into your whereabouts, your mother would might has said 'He's going to see the elephant.' This meant you had headed west to participate in the gold rush. The elephant was fame, fortune, and with a little luck, luck itself...For our purposes this nearly forgotten expression is meant to identify those rare souls interested in making contact with the story of a lifetime." - Rodes Fishburne


And i'll end with the golden gate bridge at sunset.