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I would suspect your temperature compensator board before anything else. That will scare the heck out of you, the contacts get loose over time and vibration will cause the needle to start wondering around (most of the time up). Used to have the same sort of issue with hovering right below the red mark when you slowed down or in traffic.
The test for that is to make a fist and give the area right over the top of the gauge on the dash top a couple of good thumps. A wild eyed look while you are doing it will enhance the effect for any onlookers. The gauge eases down into a more normal area of the center and that is a sure sign of the problem. You could also take the back of a knuckle and give the face a few good thumps.
You can find the fix at this link. You only need a 24 gauge wire, some solder, and a Phillips screwdriver to complete the task. That and remember what goes where on the back of the cluster.
On driving home, if you have not bypassed the board, check the coolant level and condition of all the hoses. If they look good and you can jar the gauge back to normal, you should be good to go. Make sure that it's the gauge, take for a drive and when it heads to red, try the thump test.
Good Luck,
Paul
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