ARTCC CTLR QUESTIONS DIRECTION OF TURN OF ACFT CLBING IN ZOA AIRSPACE.

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ACFT IS BASED OUT OF NAPA; WAS FLYING EMPTY IN VFR CONDITIONS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; NAPA TO LAS VEGAS TO PICK UP VACATIONERS AND DISTRIBUTE THEM ABOUT THE STATE. CLRNC (TO BEST OF MY MEMORY) WAS: CLRED TO LAS VEGAS VIA DIRECT SGD VOR; R TURN (WHICH IS THE LONG WAY AROUND; SEE FIGURE #1); DIRECT ECA VOR AS FILED. CLB MAINTAIN 8000 FT EXPECT FL210 IN 10 MINS. TKOF AND TRANSITION TO ZOA ON RADIO WAS UNEVENTFUL. BEFORE REACHING SGD VOR; CTR; I THOUGHT; CHANGED CLRNC BY SAYING 'CLRED FROM PRESENT POS DIRECT ECA VOR.' I TURNED DIRECT TO ECA VOR WHICH WAS A L TURN AND CONTINUED ON. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS CTR ASKED ME IF TWR HAD ISSUED ME A R OR L TURN TO ECA. I TOLD HIM MY CLRNC AND THAT'S WHEN HE CLRED ME 'DIRECT ECA' I ASSUMED HE'D VOIDED THE R TURN. HE NEVER REALLY SAID WHETHER HE HAD OR NOT BUT SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF 'WE'VE HAD SOME PLTS TURNING L THERE; WE WERE WONDERING IF THE TWR HAD TOLD YOU. NO PROB. CLB MAINTAIN FL210.' I WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE SUCH A SMALL THING THAT NOTHING WILL COME OUT OF EXCEPT THE CTR ASKING ME OF MY ACTIONS MAKES ME THINK THAT I VIOLATED A CLRNC. I'M STILL NOT CONVINCED I DID BUT WANTED TO PLAY IT SAFE WITH THIS FORM. IF CTR HAD ISSUED 'CLRED R TURN DIRECT ECA' OBVIOUSLY NO MISUNDERSTANDING WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. I GUESS IT'S A CASE OF 'DOUBLE ASSUMPTIONS' -- I ASSUMED 'CLRED DIRECT' MEANT SHORTEST TURN; CTR ASSUMED I WOULD STICK TO MY TWR ISSUED 'R TURN' CLRNC. WX WAS GREAT AND NO OTHER ACFT WERE AROUND.