My 97 ford escort is overheating and idling really high. What can I do do fix this?

Check the motor oil and make sure it looks as it should..i.e. not like a chocolate milk-shake and overfull. And the other way around...no motor oil in the radiator-- Hopefully that will be ok.-----meaning not a blown head gasket. Sounds like a vacuum leak. When the coolant in the overflow tank is boiling, that is coolant that has just 'puked' from the radiator in to that plastic tank...not good. Could be something as simple as a weak radiator cap, allowing the coolant out before need be. But do indeed go ahead and flush the cooling system...you do NOT need any solvents or products that say on the bottle 'radiator flush" or anything like that....simply plain water run in from a hose with pet-cock drain open and draining, engine running, cabin heater on full blast hot..... for a good 15-20 minutes, shut off, drain thoroughly, allow to cool...then add proper amount and type of coolant. Run for about 10 minutes, allow to cool, check radiator, fill to top and drive to Grandma's in Canada.

Thanks FordNut. In regards to your answer I need to clarify a few things. 1. Where you say "simply plain water run in from a hose with pet-cock drain open and draining, engine running, cabin heater on full blast hot" Do I run the hose straight into the radiator? Is the pet-cock drain the drain on the bottom of the radiator? and if this is the case I obviously continuously run fresh water from the hose for the duration. Thanks again for your help