C182RG PLT ENTERS THE TFC PATTERN INCORRECTLY AT CRE.

Narrative

RETURNING TO CRE FROM 60J; I WAS APPROX 10 MI NE OF CRE AT 800 FT; PATTERN ALT; WHEN I CALLED UP ATIS AND OBTAINED LCL ALTIMETER; WINDS; CEILING; AND 'RWY 23 VISUAL APCH IN USE.' RWY 23 IS CHARTED AS A R PATTERN ENTRY; AND THAT IS THE PATTERN I FLEW WHEN I ARRIVED AT CRE FOR THE FIRST TIME EARLIER IN THE WK. WHEN I DEPARTED CRE ON RWY 23 EARLIER IN THE DAY FOR 60J; THE R PATTERN WAS IN USE. UPON INITIAL CONTACT WITH TWR CTLR; I WAS TOLD I WAS 8 MI NE OF THE ARPT; AND RPT '2 MI L BASE.' I INTERPED THIS TO MEAN THAT I WOULD BE TURNING L ONTO BASE LEG IN THE R PATTERN SINCE I WAS APCHING THE ARPT FROM THE N; AND TFC ON DOWNWIND WAS FLYING FROM THE S. I ADJUSTED HDG SLIGHTLY TO THE R TO BRING ME TO THE NW SIDE OF THE ARPT; TO SET UP FOR A L TURN ONTO THE BASE LEG FOR SEQUENCING WITH R TFC. AT 3 MI OUT; CTLR NOTIFIED ME THAT I WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ARPT; HE WAS USING L PATTERN FOR RWY 23; AND I HAD CROSSED THE APCH END OF THE RWY WHEN HE HAD OTHER TFC ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH; 1 MI OR MORE BEHIND ME. I WAS GIVEN VECTORS FOR LNDG ON RWY 23 WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.