You should do everything just like the experts say. Only if you don't have time for it or disagree with it or find conflicting expert opinions or are just too stubborn and opinionated to listen to other people, then you should do things however the heck you want to and forget the experts.
On your specific question, would it be possible to ride, say, two hours every other day?
If darkness is a problem, get a good headlight now, you'll need it eventually anyway.
Generally, my training consists of riding 20-28 miles, but I don't get it done every day, either. Of course, I'm not the most fit person around, but hey, I'm having lots of fun, so it's okay. There are rando riders that I can't keep up with, but then again, there's always going to be rando riders I can't keep up with.
Have you ridden any with the local club? If they're all very fit, ride as a paceline, etc., you may need a similar level of fitness to fit in. If some are fast and some are slow, you're probably ready now. Regardless, keep riding and give it a try when you get a chance.
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"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."