TUCSON - For U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her family, today's trip is expected to be a special and uniquely triumphant journey. 
 
 Less than two weeks after being shot in the head at point-blank range, she is scheduled to depart the hospital for the airport and a trip to a rehabilitation center in Houston. 
 
 A day after being taken outside the hospital to gaze at the Catalina Mountains, Giffords will be transported by ambulance through the city she loves, from University Medical Center to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. 
 
 A group of VFW motorcycle riders has volunteered to escort the ambulance to the base. The congresswoman rode with this group in May 2009, when they escorted the remains of Civil War-era veterans from Tucson to Sierra Vista. 
 
 Her husband, mother, staff members and medical personnel will accompany her in an air ambulance to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. Air ambulance flights differ from traditional plane flights because air ambulances fly at a lower altitude and the cabin pressure is altered so it does not impact a patient with a head wound. 
 
 From there, she will be taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann hospital's trauma center, where she will be evaluated before being transferred to TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital. 
 
 Astronaut Mark Kelly, who took in the mountain views with his wife, voiced optimism about Giffords' long-term recovery during a news conference at University Medical Center on Thursday. 
 
 In two months' time, he said, "She'll be walking through the front door of this building. She's a fighter like nobody else that I know." 
 
 Kelly also thanked doctors, nurses and others for the "perfect" care she had received at the medical center, which helped Giffords reach the next phase in her recovery. 
 
 TIRR Memorial Hermann specializes in helping patients rehabilitate after penetrating brain injuries. 
 
 "One of the best rehab hospitals in the nation is in the city of Houston," Kelly said. "It's got an outstanding, world-class reputation." 
 
 In addition, Kelly said, he and his teenage daughters live in Houston, where he works for NASA. With Giffords undergoing rehabilitation there, he said, he can be with her every day. 
 
 At TIRR Memorial Hermann, Dr. John Holcomb will be in charge of her care. 
 
 One of her Tucson neurosurgeons, Dr. Michael Lemole, said Thursday that Giffords continues to show improvement both neurologically and physically, including standing up while being supported. 
 
 But rehabilitation will be an arduous process, which could include months of intense physical, speech and occupational therapy. 
 
 "I do want to caution everyone that she has a long road ahead of her," Lemole said. 
 
 Asked if Giffords has spoken, Kelly said that "she has made some attempts" and noted that she still has a tracheal tube to protect her airway. 
 
 She is scrolling through her iPad and touching her husband frequently. Yet she remains vulnerable, with sections of her skull still missing. They were removed in surgery immediately after the shooting to allow the brain to swell. 
 
 She will have to wear a helmet while she undergoes therapy at the rehabilitation center in Houston, doctors said. When her skull will be reattached or reconstructed, and who will do it, has yet to be determined. 
 
 The route through Tucson to the base will be: Cherry Avenue to Helen Street, east on Helen Street to Campbell Avenue, south on Campbell Avenue and Kino Boulevard to Aviation Parkway, southeast on Aviation Parkway to Golf Links Road, and east on Golf Links Road to the base's Swan Road gate. ||||| She inspired the nation with her fairy-tale recovery. Now Rep. Gabrielle Giffords must inspire herself through the ordeal of rehabilitation, and doctors say it's likely to be the hardest work she'll ever do. 
 
 Neurosurgeon Dong Kim, center, leads a team of doctors into a press conference regarding the treatment planned for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at Memorial Hermann Hospital Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, in Houston.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Patient Luis Gonzalez works with occupational therapist Eric Lantz, left, on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 at TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is expected... (Associated Press) 
 
 Patient Gary W. Noska works on a on total gym machine Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 at TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is expected to be moved Friday... (Associated Press) 
 
 A roofline of Houston's TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital is shown Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is expected to be moved Friday to the Texas Medical Center hospital... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo released by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., Rep. Giffords is loaded onto an airplane in Tucson, Ariz., as she is transferred to a rehabilitation center in Houston, Friday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Jessica Thomas places flowers outside TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, in Houston. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was transferred to Houston to begin the next... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011, hospital staff prepare a room for the arrival of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. Giffords is expected... (Associated Press) 
 
 Patient Earl Franklin, center, works with rehabilitation staff on a Therastride machine on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 at TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Jan. 21, 2011 photo released by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., Gloria Giffords, the congresswoman’s mother, center, talks with her daughter aboard the plane transporting her from... (Associated Press) 
 
 Houston's TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital is shown Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is expected to be moved Friday to the Texas Medical Center hospital to begin the... (Associated Press) 
 
 Just a couple of decades ago, rehab was little more than physical therapy for shuffling stroke victims and wheelchair-bound quadriplegics, a last resort after doctors had done all they could. 
 
 Now it's a sophisticated science at the forefront of treating people like Giffords, who was shot in the forehead two weeks ago while meeting constituents in Tucson. An early start on rehab is key to limiting permanent damage, and the Houston hospital where she will be treated uses high-tech tools to push the brain to rewire itself. 
 
 The Arizona congresswoman arrived Friday at the Texas Medical Center, where she is expected to spend a few days in intensive care before moving to TIRR Memorial Hermann rehab hospital. Dr. Gerard Francisco, the hospital's chief medical officer, said Saturday that she was "even more alert today" and progressing nicely with therapy. 
 
 Instead of doctors making you well, rehab means "teaching you how to help yourself" to get your life back, said Dr. William Donovan, a former medical director of the rehab hospital who still works there part-time. 
 
 It's frustrating when your muscles and mind won't work the way you want them to. Emotional challenges, post-traumatic stress and physical problems like seizures, headaches and infections loom as risks that could complicate her recovery. 
 
 No one can predict how she will do, or what her "new normal" will be, as the hospital's CEO, Carl Josehart puts it. A CT scan on arrival showed "really minimal" injury for the mortal wound she had, said Dr. Dong Kim, neurosurgery chief for University of Texas Health Science Center. 
 
 The type of bullet, its path, good trauma care and her general health before the injury bode well for her, but "a bigger impact on recovery is the amount of family and social support after the injury," said Mark Sherer, a neuropsychologist at the rehab hospital. 
 
 After doing a head-to-toe mapping of her injuries and abilities, "we'll have to figure out how to meet each and every deficit," Francisco said. 
 
 The first step: setting a goal, such as being able to live independently or to return to work or school. 
 
 "We try to tailor that to what's realistic," Josehart said. 
 
 His hospital is a modern, six-story, red-brick building with hacienda-style arches and signs with the "O" in Memorial Hermann made into a hopeful yellow sunburst. The rooms are standard hospital ones _ no VIP suites, the doctors quip. 
 
 A large gym can treat 30 to 40 patients at a time with state-of-the-art equipment. There are therapy pools, treadmills with harnesses to help support weight and sophisticated recumbent bikes that send electrical signals to help muscles move. 
 
 A day's stay costs several thousand dollars, and the hospital treats a mix of public insurance, private pay and uninsured patients. About two-thirds have brain injuries _ everything from gunshot wounds to strokes _ and most of the rest are spinal cord injuries. 
 
 "In the early days of rehabilitation _ 20, 30 years ago _ it was not uncommon for patients to be in a rehab hospital for a year," Josehart said. 
 
 Now, three to six months is a very long stay, partly due to better treatments and new technology that allow more care to be given at home _ portable lifts to help people out of wheelchairs, for example. 
 
 How does someone get better in rehab? 
 
 "Practice, practice, practice, and I'm not being facetious," said Dr. Paul Schulz, a UTHealth neurologist who works at the hospital. 
 
 A patient having trouble speaking _ as doctors suspect Giffords might _ could be given a Ouija board and asked to form words on it. Or encouraged to sing what they are trying to say to a familiar tune like the ABC's or Happy Birthday while tapping their fingers, said Dr. David Lacey, medical director of rehab services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. 
 
 That engages more body systems and encourages new connections and nerve growth, he explained. 
 
 "Sometimes you can break through the speech deficit by using the auditory pathway. They can get the word out rather than just thinking of the word and saying it," said Lacey, who is not involved in Giffords' care. 
 
 At the Houston hospital, therapists sometimes test cognitive function by showing patients the word "red" written in blue, and ask them to read the word. Impaired people often say "blue," distracted by the color, and that can signal the need for training like flash card drills, Schulz said. 
 
 "You have to do it with a lot of empathy because you don't want to frustrate the person," he said. "A lot of times you say 'very good' even if it's not the right answer because you want to keep them motivated on the task." 
 
 Computer games like Nintendo's Wii can be used to enhance coordination, and as rehab progresses, patients can join basketball and hockey teams or do gardening and other hobbies. They go on field trips to the grocery store or the airport to practice going through security screening and boarding a plane. 
 
 Doctors hope Giffords will do all these things, but Lacey cautions: 
 
 "Very positive early recovery does not guarantee an excellent long-term outcome. It certainly puts her more in that category of people who are likely to do much better, but some patients can plateau and not progress much further." 
 
 Mark Steinhubl wishes he could give Giffords advice. The 20-year-old was shot in the head two years ago in downtown Houston and had rehab at Memorial Hermann. He still can't see out of one eye or hear out of one ear, but he can walk and talk and is a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering at Texas A&M. 
 
 "She needs to realize that it won't be instantaneous like I thought it would be," he said. "I felt like I was accomplishing something every day, meeting a benchmark." 
 
 When he came into the rehab hospital on a stretcher, "I couldn't even sit up," Steinhubl said. When he left a month later, "I didn't walk out, I ran out." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Online: 
 
 Houston rehab center: http://tinyurl.com/deyasw 
 
 Centers for Disease Control: 
 
 http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/tbi.htm 
 
 National Institutes of Health: 
 
 http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm
– Following her first trip outside yesterday, Gabrielle Giffords today departed on an even bigger one: She left her Tucson hospital for a rehabilitation center in Houston. Crowds saw her off holding “Get well” signs and flags as an ambulance carried her to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, MSNBC reports. Giffords was escorted by motorcycle riders from a Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and was then taken via medical flight to a Houston airport. From there, a helicopter will carry her to the rehab hospital. Giffords’ husband, mother, and staff members were expected to ride alongside her in the air ambulance, the Arizona Republic reports. US Capitol police put extra security in place at the Houston facility, where she will remain until she no longer requires 24-hour care. First order of business: Check her vitals and give her a number of tests to determine what she can and cannot do, from walking and swallowing to brushing her teeth and combing her hair. Click to see what else might be in store for Giffords.