COMMUTER FLC REQUESTS DIRECT WHEN RECEIVING THE LOC. ON HDOF CTLR SAYS OFF COURSE AS HE BELIEVES CLRED TO VOR.

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AFTER LEVEL OFF AND IN CONTACT WITH SALT LAKE CENTER; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO GRAND JUNCTION. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER THE CAPT ASKED ME TO REQUEST TO BE CLRED VIA THE LOC COURSE TO GRAND JUNCTION. I STATED THAT WE WERE RECEIVING THE LOC AND REQUESTED CLRNC TO GRAND JUNCTION VIA THE SAME. THE CTLR STATED; 'ROGER; CLRED DIRECT TO GRAND JUNCTION.' WE BOTH UNDERSTOOD THAT TO MEAN THAT WE WERE CLRED AS REQUESTED. A FEW MOMENTS AFTER CONTACTING DENVER CENTER; THE CTLR ASKED WHERE WE WERE GOING. WE INFORMED HIM THAT WE WERE TRACKING THE LOC AS SALT LAKE HAD CLRED US. HE STATED THAT THE COMPUTER SHOWED US CLRED TO THE VOR AND THAT WE WERE INVOLVED IN A RTE DEV. HE SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED US TO GRAND JUNCTION VIA THE LOC AND ASKED THAT THE CAPT CALL THE CENTER. THE CONFUSION AND SUBSEQUENT RTE DEV RESULTED FROM MISCOM AND A VOR AND LOC SHARING THE SAME NAME. THIS WAS ONLY MY SECOND TRIP TO GRAND JUNCTION AND I WAS NOT AWARE THAT ASKING FOR THE LOC DIRECT WAS STANDARD PRACTICE. I COULD HAVE AVERTED THE MISUNDERSTANDING IF I HAD READ BACK THE CLRNC 'CLRED TO JUNCTION (VIA THE LOC); OR AT LEAST QUERIED THE CTLR OF THE SAME.