Loachman said:
I approve of the lower exclamation mark count.
Enjoy Shilo. Seriously.
And if you get a dog, keep a close eye on him/her when outside.
That's okay you can watch the dog running away for about 3 days before you should get concerned!
So you are off to Shilo. Where are you from? A large city or smaller city or town? Are you an outdoorsy type (I think you must be if you are in the Army) or a more cultured person (as in liking art galleries, ballet and opera)?
Anyway, I'm from that part of the country so here is the deal.
You have likely heard that Shilo is the dirty hairy smelly armpit of Canada and at first glance that could be a true description. But every place in the world has their drawbacks but they also has their advantages.
Here is SW Manitoba's advantages.
If you like camping and off road biking (pedal or motorbike) there are many choices; Spruce Woods Provincial Park is basically at your front door, Riding Mountain National Park is an hour drive to the north, Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is an hour drive to the south. All these places have fantastic campgrounds and hiking trails. The Brandon Hills to the SW of Shilo has fantastic mountain biking trails throughout the area. Do you like to dirt bike or quad? Plenty of clubs in the area or you can just head down a country road and turn down an undeveloped road allowance and you'll have tons of fun. Do you like a beach? Riding Mountain has a great one, Lake Winnipeg has a fantastic beach but it is (I think) a 2 1/2 hr drive from Shilo. Just to the south of Shilo there are some great out of the way spots on the Souris River to lazily float down the river.
If you are into golf, there are a multitude of fairly good and reasonably priced golf course within a 2 hr drive, Bomber and Jet games are an hr drive, Wheat Kings are one of the top teams in the Western Hockey League. But good luck in getting Jets tickets.
If you are into culture, Winnipeg is full of it! I still remember when the PPCLI was moving to Shilo and the lament was that people were not going to be able to see the Ballet anymore, I was going to say that there was a pretty good ballet at the Keystone Inn but I guess they meant the Royal Winnipeg Ballet!
Winter can be depressing, but only if you let it! Get a snow machine and have at er, or go X-country skiing in Spruce Woods, Riding Mountain, or the Brandon Hills. There are even some downhill slopes if you want a place to learn to ski.
I know I sound like the local booster club, but if you go to Shilo with a chip on your shoulder it will suck balls. If you go with an open mind you may even enjoy yourself!