This just in - Canada and Mexico separate themselves from North America

Nothing like getting yourself worked up about a website on a Monday morning after a blissful weekend in Muskoka.

A quick scan of some major travel websites this morning revealed an interesting item on cnn.com about "secret" beaches of North America. Forgetting the fact that there isn't a "secret" beach anywhere on the planet, there are a couple of noteworthy items, including Caladesi Island near Dunedin, Florida. It's a great little spot you mostly reach by boat from Honeymoon Island, just north and west of downtown Dunedin. You also can walk there from Clearwater Beach at high tide.

It's a lovely island with nature trails outlining the eco-system and small mangrove swamps and higher ground dotted with towering pine trees. And a beach that stretches on forever.

That's fine, as are entries for Pfeiffer Beach in northern California and Queen's Pond on Kauai, up the deserted west coast near Polihale. But, my goodness, isn't it amazing that an American website would list nine such "secret" beaches and fail to mention anything in Mexico or Canada? Sadly, it isn't.

I get lists and lists and more lists sent to me on a regular basis, and almost none of them acknowledge anything beyond the U.S. borders. It's fine for USA Today to be American-centric, I guess, but what excuse does a world-wide operation like CNN have for blithely ignoring the U.S.A's NAFTA trading partners?

It drives me batty. No mention of Sandbanks or Nova Scotia's endless coastline or Sauble Beach or Wasaga or Tofino in B.C. Not to mention no Cancun or Mazatlan or any of the glorious beaches in Baja California in Mexico, such as Loreto or Cabo San Lucas.

Nope. Once again, we in Canada and the poor souls in Mexico are reminded that the world begins and ends with the U.S.

Anyway, it was a glorious weekend in Muskoka once more. Had a chance to play (not well, but there you go) South Muskoka golf club in Bracebridge. It's truly one of those tucked-away sort of places that don't get the attention they deserve. Several holes have that classic Muskoka rock that sticks out above the grass, while almost all are nicely shaped in a true parklands-style layout. I could've used easier pin placements and faster greens, but it's a fun, not too long course that's about $60 on the weekends; much less than the big boys in the region.

Highly recommended.