Where in Washington are you (I guess which Washington too.... ). If you are close to Seattle, Cycle U has a great training program in the fall for people who want to give cross a try. There's also a weeknight training series at Marymoor park that has sections for everyone from beginners to experts.

In any case cross actually is pretty friendly to just jumping in and trying it (especially if you have mt bike experince - a little more daunting for a roadie like me ). It's a great community and they won't snub you for just being a beginner.