Yes, that is indeed what happened! And I made it a way of living. My life is sourdough baking, in some sense.
Yes, I think that is the optimal range. But even in colder temps it will be fine. It just takes longer. Sometimes in the winter a 3-4 hour fermentation might take 8-10 hours. And that is where experience comes into the equation to know when the dough is right and when it needs more time.
I worked with people in bakeries that did not understand sourdough and tried to approach it similar to normal yeast baking. They never got the "touch" (or if you allow me to become philosophical, practical wisdom, phronesis). They tried to use normal methods and times. So the one baker just let it ferment two hours because the recipe said so, but the breads were always either under-fermented or over-proofed because he did not know how to work with it.
Timing is key but sourdough has a mind of its own!
Sorry for yet another lengthy reply.
RE: My Sourdough Journey