An ambulance carried Rep. Gabrielle Giffords along a route lined with well-wishers holding flags Friday, taking the congresswoman to a plane that will fly her to a Houston rehab hospital and her next step in recovery.

It’s the first time Giffords left the Tucson hospital since she was brought there with a gunshot wound to the head nearly two weeks ago, and people came to see her off with signs that read “Get well Gabby.”

Giffords traveled to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base with an escort from a group of motorcycle riders from a Veterans of Foreign Wars post who know her. She then was loaded on a specially outfitted jet for the medical flight to a Houston airport. Once there, she will be moved by helicopter to the ICU at Texas Medical Center, where she’ll be evaluated before going to the center’s rehabilitation hospital, TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Giffords has been making progress nearly every day in her recovery from a bullet wound to the brain.

Doctors ticked off other markers of her continuing improvement: She scrolled through an iPad, picked out different colored objects, and moved her lips. They are unsure whether she is mouthing words, nor do they know how much she is able to see.

Dr. Gerard Francisco, the hospital’s chief medical officer said they will first check her vital signs—make sure her blood pressure and heart rate are good. Then specialists ranging from physical and occupational therapists to speech therapists and psychologists will give a slew of tests to see what she can and cannot do.

It’s unclear if she is able to speak. And while she is moving both arms and legs, it’s uncertain how much strength she has on her right side; the bullet passed through the left side of her brain, which controls the right side of the body.

Giffords will stay at Memorial Hermann until she no longer needs 24-hour medical care—the average is one to two months. Then she can continue getting up to five hours a day of physical and other rehab therapies on an outpatient basis, said Carl Josehart, chief executive of the rehab.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.