So yesterday I struggled to get the NRF23L01 running, I finally figured it out, it was power.
Seems like a lot of my issues have to do with power. I think I am going to build myself a circuit that can do 5v 1A and 3.3v 1A so I can power an arduino or Pi and a NRF24L01 or ESP8266.
Anyway, looks like the Arduino will work with enough power.
We just came back from Canada today. Just an overnight trip, I am actually surprised I was able to figure this one out.