Alternator gauge question

While cruising with lights off and no significant load on my charging system, My alt. gauge is reading about 35 amps or so(Near Full). Is this normal? I am used to the gauge coming back down to the middle position once the battery charges back up after a start-up.
I know it's highly recommended to bypass these but I am waiting until I get everything working correctly.
I am having some other electrical issues(dash lights etc...) and want to see if the Alternator gauge/circuit may be related.