Chuck,
Save your money and hang out here. Look through the archives for all the threads on how to buy a beginning outfit. Play with it 'til you can cast 30 or 40 feet. Follow the posts here to learn where the fish are and what they're doing.
Invite yourself along somewhere, or propose a trip. The folks here are pretty generous with help. Heck, last year a displaced southerner with a 4wt rod showed up and got into stripers after only a few false starts.