unexplainable symptoms - help??????

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This may be long so bear with me:

I'm on the road today pulling loaded horse trailer traveling from south Idaho through Oregon to Washington. Stopped in LaGrande for fuel and all was well. Started up curvy, gentle grade out of LaGrande, went to shift down from 5th to 4th and couldn't get any gear. Coasted to a stop and played with it for awhile and it finally slid pretty easy into 2nd. Took off and shifting seemed a little rough but was able run through gears back up to 5th. Got a "check gauges" light so slowed and tried to downshift again into 4th and couldn't get any gear. After I stopped all gauges at a glance looked OK. Again I played with the transmission for quite awhile this time and it finally slipped into 2nd again. This time I ran the gears up to 4th and didn't go into 5th. As I pulled the grade I noticed my engine temp was well up into the 200's then noticed it was getting mighty cold in the cab...heater would only blow cold air. (have I mentioned it was now snowing like crazy and about 26 degrees out) I got to an exit at the summit, was able to downshift to 3rd and get turned back around south to head home. Got back up to 4th and just eased it back down the grade....engine temps were still staying up around 200 (normally temp gauge stays pegged at 190). As I reapproached LaGrande the heater suddenly started blowing warmed air and my engine temps went right back down to normal. I decided then to try 5th gear and it shifted easily...tried downshifting to 4th and it wouldn't go, wouldn't go, then just as I was baling for the exit it shifted into 4th. I decided to just limp on down the highway to a friends in Boise and it seemed to run fairly normally in 4th gear taking it easy. As I came up a grade out of Farewell Bend the "check gauges" light came on again and my engine temp was nearing 240. I got way out of it and it came back down to about 200, light went off, so I continued really easing it along. Finally the temp wouldn't stay down so I pulled over in Fruitland. As I eased through the parking lot it did seem like it was going to shift OK. I got out and checked the radiator...looked dry as a bone. No leaks anywhere I could see. I put about two gallons of water in it, started it back up with temps at 190 so decided to keep trying to get to safe harbors...but it wouldn't go into gear. I played with it for quite awhile trying to get it into some gear and it finally went into 2nd just like before. I was able to limp back to a buddies in Boise. The temps stayed fine the rest of the way but as I tried to back the trailer in, I couldn't get it in any sort of gear again for about a minute, then finally it went into reverse, I backed up, unloaded, unhitched then pulled away from the trailer with no problem...shifted fine. I looked again for leaks and found none. Checked the engine oil for fear I'd find radiator fluid or something in it and it was fine. There was no off color smoke or anything from the exhaust. I drove the truck around the lot and it seemed fine. Shifted into every gear just like normal. Drove it across town to his house and ran great.

Now I don't know what to do...something was obviously really screwed up and likely still is. Can anybody tie this together and tell me where to start...it wouldn't shift, had high engine temps, and no internal heat from the heater/defroster (and maybe more things I never noticed) I'm still quite a long ways from home and not sure if I ought to load back up and make a try for it or leave the truck here and have it looked at.

Thank you for any help and if anyone from Boise happens to read please message me any advice on who to have look at it.

My sig doesn't seem to come up so my truck is 98.5, 5 spd., with air/exhaust mods, EZ, Stage 2 injectors, Centerforce clutch (fairly new)

Doug Favor