First some background to put my bike touring into perspective better:

• I did my first bike tour with a friend and co-worker, he had done some credit card tours before but not camping on those tours. He however was well versed in camping and owned the necessary gear. We were both in our 50s.
• I had camped a lot (backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, winter camping on snowshoes and cross country skies) for decades before, thus the only aspect that would be new to me was putting that stuff on my bike instead of on my back or in the boat.
• And I worked as a bike mechanic before I went to college. I built up my first touring bike from parts.

Thus, I was fortunate that taking the leap into bike touring was pretty easy when I was not new to camping, had built my bike, etc.

Touring history:

• My first bike tour was four days long. I was still working for a living (am now retired) and I could not take more than one week off of work. So, my touring buddy and I drove several hundred miles to a gravel trail to tour on, George S. Mickelson trail in South Dakota.
• Next tour was a bit longer, Katy Trail in Missouri. By now both my touring partner and I were retired, length of tour was no longer an issue.
• And the next tour, my friend declined to go, an ACA unsupported tour, the Glacial Waterton loop. In this case, unsupported means was guided but we hauled our gear and the community gear on our bike, no van support. I took Amtrak to and from that tour.
• Then did a foreign cycle trip with REI Travel in Europe. They provided the bikes, lodging, guides, van support, and most of the food. I just had to get there and then get home again.
• Then a few more tours, plus another REI trip in Europe.
• Then the first international tour where I was not with an organized travel group was a month long in Iceland for a solo tour.
• Have done a few more since, some with friends and one more international solo tour. And did a ACA van supported trip, week long.

If you have done car camping, have the gear needed for that, give it a try. Some overnights near home sound great.

Your comment on 40 to 50 miles on forest service roads, camp, then the same 40 to 50 miles back, if those are unpaved I suggest you scale that back to maybe 30 miles. Forest service roads can be rough, muddy, etc. Hauling a lot of gear on a bike can be slow on that sort of trip.

You might consider a tour with ACA after you have done some overnights near home. The unsupported ACA tours, the guide helps organize food, ACA arranges for the campgrounds, etc. You would be assigned to assist with cooking for one night and one morning, plus shopping for the food. That would give you a chance to travel with some others, some will be as new to it as you but others could have a lot of experience.