What is the best and cheapest way to go from chicago to eau claire.?

CHEAP:

AMTRAK will get you there in 9 hours...first on a train to Milwaukee and then a bus to Eau Claire...$67.00:

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak

CHEAPEST:

Greyhound will make the trip 5x each day. One bus does it in 6 hrs 45 min. The others take longer but charge the same...for $62.90 (online fare):

http://www.greyhound.com/home/ticketcenter/en/step...

BEST?:

Northwest Airlines has 9 flights that connect in Minneapolis for $187....about 6 hrs. NWA and other airlines have other flights for more $$$:

http://www.priceline.com/flights/default.asp?sessi...

If you can get to the Twin Cities, then take Magabus. Pretty sure this would beat any price. But you need to get on in the Twin Cities though. Megabus.com

i think the cheapest way is go by the boat.

amtrack or grehound would be your best option

http://amtrack.com/

http://greyhound.com/