Western, welcome, hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours. We have mild winters here too, and on the few nights it gets to low to mid 20's I just open the cabinets where there is water and put a small electric heater in the general area. Just raise the temp a few degrees. Here, it usually doesn't stay cold long enough to freeze the big stuff. As far as year round camping goes, that refers to the insulation package, not the need for winterizing. In reference to the black tanks, use them. The big mistake is to (1)leave the valve open if you are at a full hookup (2) not using enough water when dumping, but you should have plenty of volume for a few days. If you fill that fast, you might want to see a doctor. LOL. Congrats on the rig. Sounds like a sweet deal. Got those pics yet?