2001 Escort/ZX2 temp guage

My Temp gauge bottoms out past hot. When first turned on and even when turned off, it only goes a bit past the hot towards cold. It has 105,000 miles. Also, I cannot tell if my fan is kicking on. I replaced the 40A buss fuse already, just in case. Let me know if you know what else I can look for. I made sure the radiator fluid was full, and it was.

Thank you,
Rick