Hello Ken,
Welcome to the madness:yesnod:
If you haven't already gotten the "The Art of Engraving" by James Meek I would highly recommend it. I have had an interest in drawing, painting, ... for over 30 years. As with all things, I haven't devoted enough time to it... but the book mentioned above is awesome and should be of great help.
Safe journey and I hope you are taking a camera